ESPN’s Sage Steele is off ‘SportsCenter,’ apologizes for comments about Barack Obama and sexual harassment
“I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize,” Steele said in a statement sent by ESPN.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/VGRDBGWLCZBW3MBNAQTKBJSDOU.jpg)
Longtime ESPN SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele won’t appear on SportsCenter this week and has apologized following a backlash over recent comments she made about former President Barack Obama and female sports reporters who are harassed.
Steele will also no longer appear as a host and moderator of the 2021 espnW: Women + Sports Summit, which is scheduled to take place later this month, according to a source not authorized to speak publicly. She is expected to return to her role as co-anchor of the noon SportsCenter next week.
While appearing on former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler’s most recent podcast, Steele made controversial remarks about ESPN’s vaccine mandate, claimed young women bore responsibility if men sexually harass them, and chided Obama for declaring himself Black on his Census form.
» READ MORE: Eagles Super Bowl victory over the Patriots still on Tom Brady’s mind
Like Steele, Obama comes from a mixed-race family — Obama’s father was Black, but he was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother, who are white. Steele derided Obama for declaring himself Black, while saying she identifies herself as biracial.
“My Dad wasn’t around when I was younger. I’m still Black,” former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Cari Champion wrote on Twitter in response.
ESPN anchor Sage Steele told Jay Cutler it was “fascinating” Obama indicated he was Black on his census form “considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found.” pic.twitter.com/dfrnDydFd8
— Resist Programming 🛰 (@RzstProgramming) October 3, 2021
Steele also drew criticism for suggesting young female reporters deserve part of the blame if male colleagues comment inappropriately on how they dress.
Sage Steele believes women “need to be responsible as well” for inappropriate comments directed at them.
— Resist Programming 🛰 (@RzstProgramming) October 4, 2021
Sage tells young women, “when you dress like that, I’m not saying you deserve the gross comments, but you know what you’re doing when you put that outfit on too.” pic.twitter.com/6CrxOoXILN
Steele’s comments quickly went viral on social media. On Tuesday, ESPN said in a statement it was having conversations with Steele about her remarks, but made clear the tone of her comments was unacceptable.
“At ESPN, we embrace different points of view — dialogue and discussion makes this place great,” the network said in a statement. “That said, we expect that those points of view be expressed respectfully, in a manner consistent with out values, and in line with out internal policies.”
ESPN also forwarded an apology from Steele.
“I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize,” Steele said in a statement sent by ESPN. “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.”
Steele joined ESPN in 2007, and has anchored many different versions of SportsCenter, including alongside Temple-grad Kevin Negandhi on the 6 p.m. show. She currently co-anchors the noon SportsCenter with Matt Barrie.
This isn’t the first time Steele’s comments have generated controversy for the network. In 2017, she was criticized by many sports reporters and some colleagues for complaining that a protest of then-President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration at Los Angeles International Airport caused her to miss a flight.
Steele also drew heat during the 2016 NFL season for criticizing Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans for protesting the national anthem.
In recent years, ESPN has attempted to push a “stick to sports” mentality and has pushed out personalities who have gotten too political with their commentary, including Jemele Hill and Dan Le Batard.