Finally, someone is going to pay for trying to shut people up for daring to not support the vaccine or making comments associated with conservatives.
Sage Steele, who had been suspended by EPSN for comments made on another show, just settled her case.
Then she told ESPN to go pound sand and stated she would pursue other opportunities where she can use her First Amendment rights.
See Ya!
Steele was not expressing her political beliefs on ESPN, as so many others have done.
She had appeared on a podcast with former NFL player Jay Cutler. During that program, she made disparaging comments about Obama, the vaccine, and chimed in on how many women are dressing these days.
At the time, one liberal outlet called her remarks, "obtuse." God forbid the woman have an opinion of her own (Steele, if you are not aware, is a black woman, so she gets ostracized for speaking against the liberal line of attack).
ESPN then suspended her and, according to Sage, took away many of her high-profile assignments.
Steele then sued EPSN, which just put an offer of $501,000 on the table to settle the suit.
Her attorney, Bryan Freedman, stated, “Disney and ESPN clearly admit their liability by offering to pay Sage Steele more than half a million dollars for taking away her right to free speech.
“The offer misses the point. Disney cannot purchase their employee’s constitutional rights no matter how powerful they think they are.
“How about apologizing and treating people fairly?
“Let me put it this way, would Disney be willing to accept money from the state of Florida and Governor DeSantis in exchange for being silenced? Why the double standard?”
Steele also commented…
Life update.
Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely. I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter!#SteeleStrong— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) August 15, 2023
ESPN responded to Steele departing, saying, “ESPN and Sage Steele have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank her for her many contributions over the years.”
Something tells me this is just the beginning of this movement, as there were surely thousand of people who were disciplined in their workplaces for challenging the vaccine efficacy. There will be plenty of big checks being written in the near future.
