ESPN host Sage Steele is exiting the company after settling her lawsuit with the Disney-owned sports network, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- Steele, who was a former SportsCenter and NBA Countdown host, sued ESPN and The Walt Disney Company for allegedly “violating her free speech rights” after she made widely criticized comments regarding the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
- On a podcast hosted by former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler, Steele called vaccine mandates “sick” and “scary to me in many ways.”
- Steel’s suit argued that ESPN “selectively enforced its policy on news personnel commenting on political or social issues.”
- The complaint also read:
- “ESPN’s inconsistency in how it treated Steele as compared to her peers demonstrates that Steele was punished not only for exercising her constitutional right to free speech but because of the content of that speech. Steele was disciplined by her employer in violation of Connecticut state law because she exercised her First Amendment right to express opinions with which ESPN and Disney do not agree.”
- Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
What they’re saying:
- ESPN Spokesperson: “ESPN and Sage Steele have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank her for her many contributions over the years.”
- Sage Steele (via X): “Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely. I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter!”