On the day she apologized for calling her parent company’s vaccine mandate “sick” and “scary,” it was learned that ESPN’s Sage Steele tested positive for the coronavirus.
According to Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy:
ESPN anchor Sage Steele has been removed from the air, sources told Front Office Sports.
The co-anchor of the noon ‘SportsCenter’ is expected to be off for at least a week, said sources. Steele is also expected to skip her turn as host of the espnW: Women + Sports Summit, which takes place Oct. 18-20.
Steele has tested positive for COVID-19, according to sources. But her not appearing on air goes beyond her diagnosis.
Steele was already in hot water due to a podcast appearance on Uncut with Jay Cutler, in which she questioned former President Obama’s decision to identify as black on a census, given that he was raised by his mother’s family, who is white, and his black father was “nowhere to be found.”
Steele also said that women who dress provocatively should bear some of the responsibility for the reaction they receive from men, and she directly blasted Disney for what she called a “sick” and “scary.” vaccine mandate.
On Tuesday, Sports Business Journal media reporter John Ourand reported Steele’s apology and ESPN’s statement addressing her remarks.
About Disney’s mandate to get vaccinated by September 30, Steele referenced it as something “scary,” but unsurprising.
“It’s scary to me in many ways, but I have a job that I love and frankly a job that I need,” Steele said. “I’m not surprised that it got to this point, especially with Disney, I mean a global company like that.”
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