ESPN told Sage Steele to stop talking about transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, former anchor says

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele said the sports network told her to quit discussing transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, but she disobeyed the order. 

"I was asked to stop tweeting about it. I was asked to stop doing anything, saying anything about it on social media because I was ‘offending’ others at the company," Steele said, The Daily Wire reported Wednesday. 

"I made sure I sent off another tweet that night after I received that email, because, no, let’s stop living in this lie," she also said.

Steele said that many people are "afraid" to stand up to protect women's sports, and "This is a hill I will die on, 100%."

ESPN suspended Steele in October 2021 after she spoke against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, among other things, on football player Jay Cutler's podcast. She later filed a lawsuit against the network, and she left ESPN after the parties settled the lawsuit in August 2023.

Thomas' participation on the collegiate team brought transgender athletes into the spotlight as the swimmer set records and dominated competitions against women.

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