{"id":438595,"date":"2022-04-28T04:41:57","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T01:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/sage-steele-suing-espn-over-benching-for-vaccine-comments\/"},"modified":"2022-04-28T04:41:57","modified_gmt":"2022-04-28T01:41:57","slug":"sage-steele-suing-espn-over-benching-for-vaccine-comments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/sage-steele-suing-espn-over-benching-for-vaccine-comments\/","title":{"rendered":"#Sage Steele suing ESPN over benching for vaccine comments"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2f07c4dbc58\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2f07c4dbc58\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/sage-steele-suing-espn-over-benching-for-vaccine-comments\/#%E2%80%9CSage_Steele_suing_ESPN_over_benching_for_vaccine_comments%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Sage Steele suing ESPN over benching for vaccine comments&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CSage_Steele_suing_ESPN_over_benching_for_vaccine_comments%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Sage Steele suing ESPN over benching for vaccine comments&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Sage Steele, a star \u201cSportsCenter\u201d anchor for ESPN, is suing the network and parent company Disney over the circumstances surrounding her being sidelined late last year.<\/p>\n<p>In the lawsuit, Steele alleges she was retaliated against over comments she made about the company\u2019s vaccine mandate on Jay Cutler\u2019s podcast last September, violating both her contract and her right to free speech.<\/p>\n<p>Joe Flint of The Wall Street Journal first reported on the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSage remains a valued contributor on some of ESPN\u2019s highest profile content, including the recent Masters telecasts and anchoring our noon \u2018SportsCenter,\u2019\u200a\u201d an ESPN spokesperson said in a statement. \u201cAs a point of fact, she was never suspended.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A source with knowledge of ESPN told The Post that Steele will remain on-air amid the lawsuit. Her contract is not up for \u201ca while,\u201d a second source said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI work for a company that mandates it and I had until September 30 to get it done or I\u2019m out,\u201d Steele told Cutler, a former NFL quarterback who spent much of his 12-year playing career with the Bears.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"718\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-929908882.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Sage Steele has worked at ESPN as a host since 2007.\" class=\"wp-image-22063442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-929908882.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-929908882.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-929908882.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-929908882.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Sage Steele has worked at ESPN as a host since 2007.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for Cisco Systems,<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI respect everyone\u2019s decision, I really do, but to mandate it is sick and it\u2019s scary to me in many ways,\u201d Steele said. \u201cI just, I\u2019m not surprised it got to this point, especially with Disney, I mean a global company like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit, filed in Connecticut, alleges that Steele was benched by ESPN for the remarks and that the company forced her to apologize.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a knee-jerk reaction, ESPN and Disney relied on the misleading characterizations of her comments, bowed to groupthink and forced Steele to publicly apologize and suspended her for a period of time in October 2021,\u201d the suit says.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>The suit further alleges that ESPN disciplined Steele based on \u201cinaccurate third-party accounts of Steele\u2019s comments, and that the network did not im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely review the actual comments or the context in which they were made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Steele would have been off-air for a given amount of time after testing positive for COVID-19, the suit says the company used the words \u201csidelined\u201d and \u201ctaking a break\u201d to describe her on-air absence and refers to these words as \u201ceuphemisms\u201d for a suspension.<\/p>\n<p>The suit points to various stories in the press that referred to Steele as being suspended, and said \u201cESPN did nothing to rebut the widespread reports that it had suspended or otherwise disciplined Steele for her comments, both because those reports were true and because ESPN stood to benefit from the public perception that it had punished Steele for her remarks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It also alleges she was retaliated against by losing key assignments and that the network failed to stop colleagues from bullying and harassing her.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/1370382474.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"ESPN\" class=\"wp-image-22064195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/1370382474.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/1370382474.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/1370382474.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Sage Steele<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The suit claims that Steele was removed from assignments such as hosting the NYC Marathon and ESPNW Summit, an event she had emceed since 2010.<\/p>\n<p>The suit mentions several instances of colleagues criticizing Steele on-air or on social media. It says that Steele sent ESPN executive Norby Williamson a screenshot of a tweet from SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe, who \u201cretweeted a post from someone who said she hoped ESPN no longer uses Ms. Steele to cover women\u2019s sporting events, with Ms. Briscoe adding, \u2018Amen. (Even if it gets me in trouble.) Amen.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>The suit claimed that the tweet remained up three months later.<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Clark, a former Steelers player, allegedly refused to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear on-air with Steele, and according to the suit was not disciplined.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cESPN violated her free speech rights, retaliated against her, reprimanded her, scapegoated her, allowed the media and her peers to excoriate her and forced her to apologize simply because her personal opinions did not align with Disney\u2019s corporate philosophy of the moment,\u201d her attorney, Bryan Freedman, said in a statement. \u201cSage is standing up to corporate America to ensure employees don\u2019t get their rights trampled on or their opinions silenced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The suit claims ESPN \u201cviolated Connecticut law and Steele\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit claims that Steele notified company HR of their wrongdoing this past February, and followed up with a letter from attorneys.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTellingly, after months of Defendants withholding prime hosting assignments from Steele as punishment, when they received her complaint and attorney\u2019s letter, they promptly offered her the assignment of co-hosting coverage at The Masters Tournament in a blatant admission of liability and an obvious scheme to try to dodge responsibility,\u201d the suit says.<\/p>\n<p>Steele, 49, has worked at ESPN since 2007. She currently co-hosts the noon edition of \u201cSportsCenter\u201d with Matt Barrie. She has previously anchored \u201cNBA Countdown\u201d and the Scripps National Spelling Bee.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/04\/27\/sage-steele-suing-espn-over-suspension-for-vaccine-comments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Sage Steele suing ESPN over benching for vaccine comments&#8221; Sage Steele, a star \u201cSportsCenter\u201d anchor for ESPN, is suing the network and parent company Disney over the circumstances surrounding her being sidelined late last year. In the lawsuit, Steele alleges she was retaliated against over comments she made about the company\u2019s vaccine mandate on Jay&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":438596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1182968443-e1651108609163.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[128553,2837,128600,70433],"class_list":["post-438595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-27-22","tag-espn","tag-sage-steele","tag-sports-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}