(NewsNation) — Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele says fighting hypocrisy was at the heart of her lawsuit against ESPN, and she’s proud of sticking up for what she believes in.
“We’re very open about everyone being able to be who they are unless they’re biracial and you choose to say you’re biracial and not Black,” Steele said in her first cable news interview on NewsNation’s “Morning In America.”
Steele took an undisclosed settlement from ESPN after she sued the network for their reaction to her comments on the “Uncut with Jay Cutler” podcast. She questioned why former President Barack Obama would identify as Black when he was primarily raised by his white mother.
“Context is essential as journalists,” Steele told NewsNation. “When you look at the entire clip it was just me repeating what had happened in 2014 and how this has been a topic my whole life.”
She also called ESPN’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for in-office workers “scary” and “sick” on the podcast appearance, but did comply and received the shot before the company’s deadline.
Steele said it led to a 10 day stint without appearing on any programming and a forced apology. She also said she was removed from covering events like the New York City Marathon, the Rose Parade and the annual ESPNW Summit.
“I was scared of my own shadow when I started at ESPN in 2007, and I’ve changed as a human being and I’m proud of myself for realizing the importance of standing up for yourself,” Steele said.
ESPN has said Steele was never suspended.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
English (United States) ·