Sage Steele ESPN lawsuit: SportsCenter anchor’s lawyer trashes $501,000 Disney offer

Sage Steele, a prominent sports broadcaster, is currently engaged in a legal battle with ESPN and Disney, which has taken a new turn with a settlement offer.

According to reports from Front Office Sports, Steele was offered $501,000 as a settlement in the lawsuit. However, her lawyer, Bryan Freeman, has stated that they will not accept the six-figure offer.

Freeman noted that the bigger issue is the First Amendment rights of his client and that both companies admitted wrongdoing based on the settlement:

While explaining Steele's lawsuit, her lawyer said:

“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."

Freeman added on Sage Steele's lawsuit:

“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?”

The settlement was offered to cover “reasonable” attorney fees to settle Steele's lawsuit filed following her comments regarding ESPN's COVID-19 vaccine policy. Last April, the anchor sued both ESPN and the Walt Disney Co. over claims her First Amendment and Connecticut’s free-speech rights were breached.

Steele claims that there was some backlash against her after comments she made on former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler's podcast in September 2021. She also drew criticisms for wondering why former President Barack Obama identified as Black in the Census.

Sage Steele claimed that she was suspended by ESPN for two days and was compelled to issue a statement under fear of termination. The network denied that Steele was suspended. The half-million-dollar offer comes as the network is seeking ways to lessen its costs. The trial is slated to start in March 2024.

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Sage Steele's ESPN salary in the spotlight

ESPN Anchor Sage Steele

A couple of years ago, Steele signed a lengthy contract extension that's set to expire next year. She makes in the neighbourhood of $3 million a year. This is according to two persons with direct knowledge of her salary. The University of Indiana alum is the highest-paid female anchor on ESPN.

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If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Front Office Sports and H/T Sportskeeda.