ESPN suspends Sage Steele from programming after controversial comments

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ESPN took the Sage Steele personality off the lineup for a week after making controversial remarks during a podcast appearance, including calling the company’s coronavirus vaccine tenure ‘sick’ and saying it ‘it was’ fascinating’ that the old president obamaBarack Hussein ObamaHillicon Valley – Brought to you by American Edge Project – Facebook experiences widespread outage Debt Ceiling Compromise Should Be Made for Taxpayers, Not Against Them Former Georgia Senate Candidate Says Seeds of “Big Lie” “were sown” for many years “before November 2020 CONTINUED identifies as Black “considering that his black father was nowhere to be found”.

A source said Front Office Sports Tuesday that Steele will not be appearing in her regular “Sportscenter” lunchtime slot for a week and that she will no longer host the 2021 “espnW: Women + Sports Summit”, which will take place October 18-20.

“At ESPN, we take different points of view – dialogue and discussion makes this place great,” ESPN said in a statement. “That said, we expect these views to be expressed with respect, in a manner consistent with our values ​​and in accordance with our internal policies.”

ESPN also conveyed an apology from Steele.

“I know my recent comments have created controversy for the company, and I apologize for it,” Steele said. “We are in the midst of an extremely difficult time that affects us all, and it is more important than ever that we communicate in a constructive and thoughtful manner.”

The source also said Steele had tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days, according to Front Sports Office.

Steele, who has been with the network for about 15 years, made a series of controversial remarks during an appearance on former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler’s podcast “Uncut with Jay Cutler”, where she shared her thoughts on her company’s vaccine tenure, sexism in the sports journalism industry and questioned the ethnicity of former President Obama.

Discussing how Obama chose “Black” as his ethnicity on the census, she said: “I’m like, ‘Well, congratulations to the president. This is his thing. I think it’s fascinating considering his black dad was nowhere to be found, but his white mum and grandmother raised him, but hey you do. I will do myself. “

Steele also said she rejected mentorship requests from aspiring sports reporters who present themselves in an overly sexualized manner.

“So when you dress like that, I’m not saying you deserve the rude comments, but you also know what you’re doing when you put on that outfit,” Steele said. “Like, women are smart so don’t be shy and put it all on guys.”

And she criticized ESPN’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, saying she only received the vaccine because she didn’t want to be removed from programming.

“I respect everyone’s decision. I really do. But the mandate is sick, and that scares me in a lot of ways, ”Steele told Cutler. “I’m not surprised to get this far, especially with Disney. I mean, a global company like that.

Former ESPN presenters Keith Olbermann and Jemele Hill criticized their former colleague for his remarks.

“3) Unfortunately @sagesteele has a long reputation there for trying to blow up the careers of co-hosts and other colleagues,” Olbermann said in a tweet on Sunday. “Spirit of a murderer, no aim, always hurting himself. But this thing, especially the Obama part, is intolerable. They have to take it off the air, immediately.

Hill described Steele’s podcast appearance as “clowning behavior.”

“So besides thinking that former President Obama shouldn’t identify as black because he didn’t have a relationship with his black father, Sage Steele also believes that women journalists who dress in somehow ‘know what you’re doing when you’re putting on that outfit,’ ”Hill said Sunday in a tweet.

The Hill has reached out to ESPN for comment.



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