Sage Steele Sues ESPN For Violating Her Free Speech Rights

Sage Steele says she lost assignments due to her comments about COVID and Barack Obama.

BYAlexander Cole
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Sage Steele has become a controversial figure on ESPN as of late. The SportsCenter anchor is one of the few personalities on the network with conservative views, and some of her comments have gotten her into a bit of hot water. For instance, she once made some comments about vaccine mandates that had some people scratching their heads. From there, she had some abhorrent comments about President Barack Obama's race which had some people up in arms. 

“Congratulations to the President. That’s his thing,” she said. “I think that’s fascinating considering his Black dad is nowhere to be found, but his white mom and grandma raised him, but OK. You do you. I’m gonna do me.”

Sage Steele Sues ESPN For Violating Her Free Speech Rights
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After making those comments, Steele was off from SportsCenter for a week and she was also given fewer assignments than before. As a result, she is now suing ESPN, claiming they violated her contract and free speech rights, according to Deadline.

According to the report, the lawsuit says ESPN “violated Connecticut law and Steele’s 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."

Sage Steele Sues ESPN For Violating Her Free Speech Rights
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ESPN has commented on the lawsuit saying “Sage remains a valued contributor on some of ESPN’s highest profile content, including the recent Masters telecasts and anchoring our noon SportsCenter. As a point of fact, she was never suspended.”

Stay tuned to HNHH for updates on this story.

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About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. During this time, he has shown an expertise in Air Jordans, Yeezys, and all things that have to do with Nike. His favorite kicks are the Air Jordan 1 High OG, the Air Jordan 4, the Air Jordan 6, and the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 in the "Beluga 2.0" colorway. Although his collection might not be the biggest, he is always looking to add new styles to it. When it comes to sports, Alex has a particular interest in the NBA and the NFL. His favorite teams are anywhere LeBron goes, and the Kansas City Chiefs. As a Montrealer, the Montreal Canadiens hold a special place in his heart, even if they haven't won the Stanley Cup in his lifetime. Alex also works for the Concordia Stingers, where he provides play-by-play and color commentary for the football, hockey, and basketball teams His favorite hip-hop artists are Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and Lil Uzi Vert.