Sage Steele has had one hell of a week.
On Tuesday, it was reported that she would be taken off the air for the week for her comments on Jay Cutler’s podcast where she openly complained about the network’s vaccine mandate being “sick” and “scary,” despite having taken the vaccine right before her appearance on Cutler’s podcast.
“So I got my shot today,” Sage revealed in the Wednesday episode.
“You took it a long way,” Cutler reacted.
“I did,” Sage laughed. “I just… I didn’t want to do it. But I work for a company that mandates it and I had until September 30 to get it done or I’m out.”
On top of that news, she has also now tested positive for COVID-19. Michael McCarthy of “Front Office Sports” reported the news Tuesday.
The “SportsCenter” anchor apologized Tuesday morning for the reaction that her comments created.
“I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize,” she wrote in a statement provided to TheWrap. “We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.”
ESPN also issued a statement regarding Steele’s remarks.
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“At ESPN, we embrace different points of view — dialogue and discussion makes this place great,” the network said in a statement provided to TheWrap. “That said, we expect that those points of view be expressed respectfully, in a manner consistent with out values, and in line with out internal policies.”
Disney announced July 30 that it would implement a company-wide vaccine mandate for all salaried and non-union hourly employees, which gave them 60 days to comply and that “all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated before beginning employment.”
