Stephen A. Smith Defends ESPN in Sage Steele Spat
After settling her lawsuit with The Walt Disney Company, former ESPN host Sage Steele blasted her former employer for treating her differently because of her political views.
“If we are allowing my peers to go on social media, much less on our own airwaves, saying things … then I should be allowed on my personal time to give my opinion on my experiences personally, without telling others what to do,” Steele said. “I think that’s just what breaks my heart. That there were different rules for me than everyone else.”
Stephen A. Smith Defends ESPN
On his self-titled radio show, ESPN star pundit Stephen A. Smith had a more nuanced take on what happened. The reason for Seele’s suspension, he said, had less to do with politics and more to do with the bottom line.
“I don’t necessarily vibe with her assertion that there were different rules for her than everybody else,” Smith said. “The rules are different depending on the circumstances of the situation, which are analyzed and dissected on a case by case basis by ESPN.”
Steele’s Comments
Steele’s initial suspense came after she appeared on former NFL player Jay Cuter’s podcast and blasted ESPN for their vaccine mandate. During the interview, she also made comments about the racial identity of former President Barack Obama.
The SportsCenter anchor was suspended after the comments, and she quickly filed a lawsuit against the company for violating her First Amendment Rights.
Smith Argues It’s All About the Bottom Line
Smith, who identifies as an independent voter, made it clear that he was not dismissing Steele’s claims. Instead, he argued that ESPN was just looking out for their bottom line.
“The company is gonna respond and react to that because we have stockholders and shareholders, you have to be sensitive to those things,” Smith said. “But I do not deny that she’s very passionate about what she feels, she’s not faking it, and she certainly had examples to point to,” Smith said.
“I think it’s a mistake when a corporation tries to silence anybody If I say something and it ultimately costs ESPN dollars and as a result, ESPN says ‘You got to go,’ they’re not saying I have to go because of my politics. They’re saying I have to go because I compromised their bottom line. And I think that’s the position all corporations should take as opposed to trying to curtail or silence anybody.”
Whether or not Steele’s suspension was the result of political censorship will likely never be known. Disney and Steele settled their suit, and the broadcaster has left the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
Upon Steele announcing that she was leaving the network, ESPN thanked her for her years of service.
“ESPN and Sage Steele have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank her for her many contributions over the years,” the network said in a statement.
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