Sage Steele: ESPN Told Her To Stop Transgender Comments

Sage Steele

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele claims she was asked by the network to refrain from commenting on controversial transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, ABC30 St. Louis reports.

Lia Thomas, a transgender female, joined the University of Pennsylvania's women’s swimming team in 2021 after originally being on the men's team. She went on to become an NCAA champion.

Thomas's participation in women's events was followed by the creation of “Fairness in Women’s Sports Acts,” legislation that aims to require athletes to compete based on biological sex.

While anchoring "SportsCenter" for ESPN, Steele frequently expressed opposition to Thomas and other transgender females competing in women's sports on social media. In an interview with women's sports activist Riley Gaines this week, she claimed her comments led to internal backlash at work.

“I was asked to stop tweeting about it,” Steele said. “I was asked to stop doing anything, saying anything about it on social media because I was offending others at the company. I made sure I sent up another tweet that night after I received that email because like, no.”

🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/1VyShqxZNC

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) December 27, 2023

Steele and ESPN parted ways in 2023 after she launched a lawsuit claiming the company infringed her free speech rights, according to The New York Post. Speaking to Gaines, Steele explained the messages were part of the reason why she felt so strongly about the suit.

“I already had the lawsuit going. I didn’t know what how it was going to end. But I literally said, this is the hill I will die on 100% because it’s facts,” she said. “This is not even my opinion about a vaccine mandate or whatever, these are facts. This is science, this is biology."

"Tell me to stop supporting women," Steele continued. "Go ahead, tell me.”

Gaines, who competed against Thomas in 2022, applauded Steele, saying she "could not imagine being a woman working there, being asked to report on this issue with a smile on my face."

Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Paula Scanlan said during a House hearing earlier this year her university forced biologically female athletes to fear for their safety by allowing Thomas into women’s locker rooms.

“The university was gaslighting and fearmongering women to validate the feelings and identity of a male,” Scanlan said. She claimed the University of Pennsylvania urged her to seek counseling after she presented them with concerns over sharing a locker room with Thomas.