Christian ESPN Host Exits Network to Freely Exercise First Amendment Rights

Published: August 18, 2023

Christian ESPN Host Exits Network to Freely Exercise First Amendment Rights

By Movieguide® Contributor

Sage Steel, a Christian ESPN host, has announced that she will leave the Disney-owned network following her recent lawsuit to exercise her “first amendment rights more freely.”

“Life update. 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!” Steele posted on X.

Life update.
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!#SteeleStrong

— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) August 15, 2023

Yahoo Sports reported that the lawsuit was “for what she claims was illegal retaliation against her for comments she made on Jay Cutler’s podcast” in September 2021.

Yahoo Sports reported on her comments:

“Steele called ESPN’s vaccine mandate ‘sick,’ said female reporters [who] dressed a certain way share the blame when athletes make inappropriate comments about them and questioned former President Barack Obama identifying himself as Black ‘considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found but his white mom and grandma raised him.’”

The company quickly retaliated against her comments, and Steel issued an apology, which she said she was “forced” to do.

She then filed a lawsuit, claiming ESPN “violated Connecticut law and Steele’s rights to free speech based upon a faulty understanding of her comments and a nonexistent, unenforced workplace policy that serves as nothing more than pretext,” according to Faithwire.

ESPN attempted to dismiss the case and claimed, “‘removing Steele from broadcasts, allowing her co-workers to forgo appearing with her, and allegedly conditioning her return to those broadcasts on her issuing an apology are casting decisions that are considered conduct furthering ESPN’s protected expression.’”

On August 15, Steel updated her fans on the situation, announcing she was leaving the network. Many people responded to her in support.

“Congratulations Sage!!” another user said. “Thanks for standing up for people who can’t or are too scared to speak up.”

In a statement to Fox News, ESPN stated, “ESPN and Sage Steele have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank her for her many contributions over the years.”