Sage Steele Says ESPN 'Silenced' Her And Others

Sports Personality Sage Steele

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele is speaking out about her exit from the company, telling Jesse Watters on Fox News that she was not the only one at the company who felt "silenced" from expressing certain opinions.

Fox News Digital reports the longtime former "SportsCenter" host joined "Jesse Watters Primetime" Tuesday to discuss what she experienced and when she decided it was time for her to move on. 

"I wasn't the only one who felt silenced, who felt scared. I mean, some of us would literally whisper in the corner or even in the bathroom and talk about, hey, we can't say this too loud," said Steele, who was sidelined by ESPN in 2021 when she spoke out on a podcast about the company forcing her to receive the COVID vaccine.

Steele said opinions on one side were allowed to be discussed, but not from the other.

"Not just in the studio or in the green room or the makeup room, but on social media, on ESPN platforms. And I think that's all I ever wanted. And that's kind of what the suit was about, was consistency. What are the rules? Let's make them clear and make sure everybody follows them, not just the people that fit a certain narrative."

Steele said after this went on for years, she "had enough." 

"The biggest blessing for me is that I've finally learned to be okay not being liked, even if they're for reasons that I think are stupid. People who won't even have a conversation or who have never even met me. That happens quite a lot. And I'm sure you're familiar with it too."