Sage Steele’s lawsuit against ESPN and Disney, filed in Connecticut Superior Court in April 2022, alleged the network illegally pulled her off the air after she criticized Disney’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and questioned Barack Obama’s racial identity on a podcast. The case settled in August 2023 for a reported figure north of $500,000 plus fees, and Steele left ESPN the same day. She later filed a second suit, in June 2024, against her talent agency CAA, accusing it of siding with ESPN instead of defending her.
What Steele Said on the Podcast
On September 29, 2021, Steele appeared on Uncut with Jay Cutler. She called Disney’s vaccine requirement “sick” and “scary” and said she had complied only because “I work for a company that mandates it and I had until Sept. 30 or I was out.”1Los Angeles Times. ESPN Sage Steele Suspended Vaccination Policy Comments On the same episode she questioned why Obama identified solely as Black: “I think that’s fascinating considering his Black dad is nowhere to be found but his white mom and grandma raised him, but OK.”2NBC News. ESPN Sidelines Sage Steele After Comments on Networks Vaccine Mandate
How ESPN Responded
Within days, ESPN pulled Steele off the air. Her later court filing said she was benched from October 4 through October 14, 2021.3NPR. Sage Steele Suing ESPN Disney ESPN senior vice president Norby Williamson later stated in an affidavit that he told Steele the network would “temporarily sit her out until the negative attention her comments were receiving died down.”4Front Office Sports. Sage Steeles Lawyer Counters ESPNs Efforts to Dismiss Lawsuit Publicly, ESPN denied a suspension had taken place, describing Steele as a “valued contributor” and saying the matter was being handled through “direct conversations.”5NPR. ESPN Sage Steele Vaccines Obama Steele’s lawyers argued that “sidelined” and “taking a break” were euphemisms for a suspension, and that she had been forced to issue a public apology.6NBC News. Sage Steele Sues ESPN Saying Suspension Vaccine Comments Violated Free Speech
The Claims Against ESPN and Disney
The complaint alleged breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, retaliation, and violation of Connecticut General Statutes ยง 31-51q.3NPR. Sage Steele Suing ESPN Disney
Section 31-51q is the core of the case. The statute extends something like First Amendment protection into the private workplace, making it unlawful for any Connecticut employer to discipline or fire a worker for constitutionally protected speech. It carries an important exception: the protection does not apply where the speech “substantially or materially interfere[s] with the employee’s bona fide job performance or the working relationship between the employee and the employer.”7Sportico. Sage Steele Lawsuit Explained That carve-out was expected to be ESPN’s main defense. Anthony Fargo, a media law professor at Indiana University, noted that Connecticut courts “almost always rule in favor of the employer” in cases brought under the statute.8Indianapolis Star. Sage Steele ESPN Lawsuit Expert Case Chances
The Selective Enforcement Argument
Steele’s strongest theory was that ESPN applied its conduct rules unevenly. Her complaint pointed to Dan LeBatard, who in 2019 called then-President Donald Trump an “old white man” who “instigated” racial animus, and Jemele Hill, who had called Trump a “white supremacist” on Twitter, neither of whom faced the same treatment. It also singled out a retweet by SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe endorsing a call for Steele to be removed from covering women’s sports, a post the complaint said stayed up for more than three months without consequence.9The Hollywood Reporter. ESPN Sage Steele Sues Network Claims Free Speech Violations and Retaliation Fargo called the selective-enforcement angle the most compelling piece of the case, saying judges “frown on” inconsistent application of contractual obligations.8Indianapolis Star. Sage Steele ESPN Lawsuit Expert Case Chances
How the Case Ended
ESPN moved to dismiss in June 2022, but no ruling issued before the parties entered mediation.10Sportico. ESPN Motion to Dismiss Sage Steele Lawsuit In June 2023, ESPN offered Steele just over $500,000 plus attorney fees and costs.11Courthouse News Service. Sage Steele Leaves ESPN After Settling Her Lawsuit Over Covid-19 Vaccine Comments The two sides announced a settlement on August 15, 2023. Final terms were not disclosed, and ESPN would not say whether the eventual figure differed from that opening offer.12The Athletic. Sage Steele ESPN Lawsuit Settlement
Steele left ESPN the same day. “Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely,” she wrote on social media.13CNN. Sage Steele ESPN ESPN said the two sides had “mutually agreed to part ways.”14Los Angeles Times. Sportscenter Anchor Sage Steele Exits ESPN After Settlement
The Second Lawsuit: Steele v. CAA
On June 11, 2024, Steele filed a separate suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Creative Artists Agency and her former agent Matthew Kramer, alleging breach of fiduciary duty.15Variety. Sage Steele Sues CAA ESPN Battle The complaint accused the agency of protecting its own business relationship with Disney and ESPN at her expense.
Specific allegations included:
- Kramer told Steele she would be fired if she did not issue a public apology, rather than defending her right to stand by her comments.15Variety. Sage Steele Sues CAA ESPN Battle
- Kramer said he would have the “head of CAA legal” review her contract on the vaccine mandate, but instead routed it to a junior attorney.16The Hollywood Reporter. Sage Steele Sues CAA
- CAA also represented Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski, whose ESPN contract extensions were announced in 2022, creating an alleged conflict.16The Hollywood Reporter. Sage Steele Sues CAA
- CAA never told Steele her comments were likely protected under Connecticut law or suggested she consult an employment and free-speech attorney.17Deadline. Steele v. CAA Complaint
CAA called the suit a “meritless attempt to avoid paying the significant commissions she owes CAA” and said its agents “unequivocally acted only in her best interest.”16The Hollywood Reporter. Sage Steele Sues CAA
The Labor Commission Ruling on Commissions
CAA had already opened a separate front. In September 2022 it filed a claim with the California Labor Commission seeking unpaid commissions on Steele’s ESPN earnings.16The Hollywood Reporter. Sage Steele Sues CAA In August 2024 the Labor Commissioner ruled for CAA, finding Steele owed the agency its standard 10% commission plus interest. The Commissioner concluded that a talent agency’s core job is to procure and preserve employment, and that CAA had done that by helping Steele keep her paycheck intact for the remaining 32 months of her contract. The ruling held that Steele “fails to show that the scope of CAA’s legal services extended to free speech rights,” and that both sides understood the agency’s legal role was limited to contract and transactional matters.18Reason. Sage Steele Loses Claim That Her Agents Didnt Properly Protect Her Free Speech Rights
Where Steele Is Now
Since leaving ESPN, Steele has hosted The Sage Steele Show.19New York Post. Sage Steele Will Never Forget the Text Stephen A. Smith Sent Her In June 2025, Indiana Governor Mike Braun appointed her to the Indiana University Board of Trustees; she was sworn in on June 12, 2025, and her term runs through 2028.20Indiana Capital Chronicle. Braun Reverses Course Removes Elected IU Trustees for His Appointees She heads the board’s external relations committee.21Indiana Daily Student. Who Are the IU Board of Trustees Members