Sage Steele is taking her employer to court. Joe Flint of The Wall Street Journal reports that Steele has filed a lawsuit against ESPN alleging that the network violated her right to free speech and breached her contract last year.
During an appearance on Jay Cutler’s podcast last year, Steele made a number of controversial comments. Among them were that she found ESPN’s vaccine mandate “sick and scary,” that former President Barack Obama classifying himself as Black on the US Census was “fascinating considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found,” and saying that women in sports media shouldn’t “play coy and put it all on the guys” when they are objectified and harrassed on social media.
Shortly after that, Sage Steele was off the network after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
The lawsuit makes a number of accusations against ESPN. They include that the network retaliated by taking away a number of prime assignments, forced her to issue an apology, and failed to stop any bullying from her colleagues.
That bullying includes NFL analyst Ryan Clark refusing to work with Steele according to Ryan Glasspiegel of The New York Post.
The suit calls Steele being pulled off the network “an example of selective enforcement of a network policy that bars news personnel from taking positions on political or social issues.”
Sage Steele and her attorney, Bryan Freedman are seeking unspecified damages. They claim they informed ESPN HR of their allegations in February and followed up with a legal letter before filing suit.
“Sage is standing up to corporate America to ensure employees don’t get their rights trampled on or their opinions silenced,” Freedman said in a statement.
ESPN has responded to the suit with a statement if its own that reads “Sage remains a valued contributor on some of ESPN’s highest profile content, including the recent Masters telecasts and anchoring our noon SportsCenter. As a point of fact, she was never suspended.”
Glasspiegel cites a source that says Steele “will remain on air” as the lawsuit plays out. A second source told him that her contract is not up for “a while.”
Right-Wingers always whining about being canceled while they are trying to cancel literally EVERYTHING. Sorry Safe, see you at Faux News.