SportsCenter host Sage Steele is suing her employer ESPN and its parent company Walt Disney Co. after she alleges the company treated her unfairly over her comments on a podcast interview last September, according to The Wall Street Journal. Steele alleges that the company violated her contract and violated her rights to free speech.
The ESPN host came under fire after appearing on former quarterback Jay Cutler’s podcast “Uncut with Jay Cutler” last year. During the interview, Steele questioned COVID-19 vaccine mandates and made comments about former President Barack Obama identifying as Black instead of biracial. She also said female sportswriters are partly responsible for athletes making inappropriate comments about them when they dress a certain way.
After the interview, Steele tested positive for COVID-19, which led to her going off air while recovering. ESPN called on the presenter to apologize for her comments.
Before the controversy, Steele was a lead anchor on ESPN’s flagship show, SportsCenter. Since the interview, Steele has claimed that she has been sidelined for main duties. However, she continues to host SportCenter’s lunchtime show.
The lawsuit also alleges that ESPN failed to “stop the bullying and harassment by Ms. Steele’s co-workers,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
In 2017, ESPN introduced a rule requiring employees not to comment on political matters unrelated to sports. Steele claims her case was a “selective enforcement” of that rule.
Scroll to Next
The lawsuit alleges that ESPN “violated Connecticut law and Steele’s right to free speech based on a misreading of their comments and a nonexistent, unenforced workplace policy that serves only as a subterfuge.”
The relevant Connecticut Act, Sec. 31-51q. states that companies cannot discipline employees for exercising their First Amendment rights unless the comments directly affect their job performance or their business. Steele argues that because her comments were made on a third-party podcast, she should be considered a private person in this situation.
In addition, Steele provided examples of her ESPN staffers not being penalized for speaking out politically.
It is not known what kind of damages Steele is seeking in the case.
ESPN responded to the lawsuit with this statement, “Sage remains a valued contributor to some of ESPN’s most well-known content, including recent Masters television shows and anchoring our noontime sports center. In fact, she was never suspended.”
More from Sports Illustrated: