ESPN announced another talent shakeup this week.
Anchor Elle Duncan will now be taking over for Sage Steele on the 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter alongside Kevin Negandhi. Steele will be taking her talents to the noon SportsCenter slot in Duncan’s former role alongside Matt Barrie.
ESPN executive vice president Norby Williamson addressed the SportsCenter swap in the network’s announcement Tuesday.
“We have a very talented and diverse set of voices on SportsCenter and a deep lineup of quality individuals who make up the team,” Williamson said, per the release. “As we turn the page to 2021, we’re doing what we have always done — providing new opportunities for some anchors to experience different shows and pairings while offering continuity and familiarity to our viewers with other editions.”
This news was huge online because it was back in July when Steele accused her ESPN colleagues of boxing her out of a special on social and racial justice in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death while in custody of the Minneapolis police.
Her leaked comments accused Duncan and anchor Michael Eaves of urging network executives to keep her off of the special “because she wasn’t considered by certain Black colleagues to be an authentic voice for the Black community.”
Steele later confirmed the comments to the Wall Street Journal.
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Here’s how social media reacted:
Aside from trying to get her co-workers fired, Steele has taken controversial political stances on social media in the past, including criticizing Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans for kneeling to protest social and racial injustice during the national anthem.
