Stephen A. Smith Offers Honest Take On Sage Steele's Departure From ESPN
OAKLAND, CA - MAY 30: TV sports personality Stephen A. Smith speaks with youth from the Hidden Genius Project prior to Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on May 30, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
Robert Reiners/Getty Images
Last week, longtime "SportsCenter" anchor Sage Steele announced that she's leaving ESPN. She then talked about her time with the network during an appearance on "The Megyn Kelly Show."
Steele told Kelly that she was treated differently by ESPN because of her political views.
“If we are allowing my peers to go on social media, much less on our own airwaves, saying things … then I should be allowed on my personal time to give my opinion on my experiences personally, without telling others what to do,” Steele said. “I think that’s just what breaks my heart. That there were different rules for me than everyone else.”
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith responded to Steele's claims on his self-titled show this week.
“I don’t necessarily vibe with her assertion that there were different rules for her than everybody else,” Smith said. “The rules are different depending on the circumstances of the situation, which are analyzed and dissected on a case by case basis by ESPN.”
Smith then offered his thoughts on corporations silencing certain employees.
“I think it's a mistake when a corporation tries to silence anybody,” Smith said. “If I say something and it ultimately cost ESPN dollars and as a result ESPN says ‘You got to go,’ they’re not saying I have to go because of my politics. They’re saying I have to go because I compromised their bottom line. And I think that's the position all corporations should take as opposed to trying to curtail or silence anybody.”
