Sage Steele: ‘Something in me changed’ after vaccine mandate

(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 in 2021. She questioned why former President Barack Obama would identify as Black and not biracial 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.”

“I’m pretty sure my white mom was there when I was born, so for everyone saying I need to identify as Black and join the movement, who am I to tell anyone how to identify?” She said later. “And that goes both ways.”

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 so she could keep working.

“Something in me changed at that moment,” she said.

Steele said her comments on the podcast 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.

She has not announced what her next role may be, but is using this time to speak up for her cause and anyone else who may share a story similar to hers. She says thousands of people have reached out to thank her.

“My ‘why now?’ is because of the pain I felt for many years to be silenced because I’m a little bit different, maybe, or not, based on a certain narrative of what I’m supposed to say or think or feel based on, what, my race, my gender? What is that?”

ESPN has said Steele was never suspended. Legal analysts said she benefited from a statute in Connecticut, where ESPN is based, that allows employees who have been disciplined for protected speech to sue their employers.

She acknowledged she was “grateful” for that law in Connecticut, but said her fight was about more than that.

“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.