Sage Steele has filed a lawsuit against her former employer ESPN and its parent company, Walt Disney Co., claiming that the company treated her unfairly, breached her contract, and violated her free-speech rights!
The lawsuit also accuses the company of failing to stop Sage’s colleagues from bullying and harassing her.
You may recall the ESPN anchor came under fire and was ultimately yanked off of the air over wild remarks she made on Jay Cutler’s “Uncut” podcast.
Let’s recap below…
While discussing her desire to check both Black and White on her census, when someone told Sage that Barack Obama chose Black on his census, she said:
I’m like, ‘Well, congratulations to the president. That’s his thing.’ I think that’s fascinating considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found, but his White mom and grandma raised him, but hey, you do you. I’m going to do me.
Speaking of harassment…
Sage also said some female journalists leave the door open for harassment due to their wardrobe choices.
When you dress like that, I’m not saying you deserve the gross comments, but you know what you’re doing when you’re putting that outfit on, too. Like, women are smart, so don’t play coy and put it all on the guys.
Perhaps she had on the wrong attire when she was allegedly being bullied and harassed by her colleagues…
Sage Steele also called Disney’s mandatory vaccination mandate that forced her to get vaccinated in order to keep her job “sick.”
I respect everyone’s decision, I really do, but to mandate it is sick and it’s scary to me in many ways. But I have a job, a job that I love and, frankly, a job that I need.
When the block got hot, Sage Steele issued the following apology:
I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize.
We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.
So, if she publicly took accountability for talking out of the side of her neck – how is she now suing?
ESPN responded to the lawsuit with the following statement:
Sage remains a valued contributor on some of ESPN’s highest-profile content, including the recent Master’s telecasts and anchoring our noon SportsCenter.
As a point of fact, she was never suspended.
Your thoughts?
Source: Sports Illustrated
