Sage Steele Sues Former Agent, CAA, for Mishandling ESPN Dispute

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele has filed a lawsuit against the talent and sports agency that represented her during her contract dispute with the network, alleging breach of fiduciary duty and conflict of interest.

Sage Steele, a well-known sportscaster who spent over 15 years at ESPN, has filed a lawsuit against Creative Artist Agency (CAA), the talent and sports agency that represented her during her contentious dispute with ESPN.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Steele alleges that CAA breached its fiduciary duty by failing to adequately advocate for her interests in her contract negotiations with ESPN. She also accuses CAA of having a conflict of interest, as the agency represents several high-profile ESPN personalities.

The lawsuit stems from Steele's public criticism of ESPN's COVID-19 vaccine mandate during an appearance on NFL quarterback Jay Cutler's "Uncut" podcast in September 2021. In the podcast, Steele expressed her concerns about the mandate, stating that it was "sick" and "scary."

Following her comments, ESPN suspended Steele, leading to a significant backlash from conservative media outlets and some viewers. Steele subsequently filed a lawsuit against ESPN, alleging that her suspension was a form of retaliation for her comments.

In December 2021, ESPN and Steele reached a settlement, with Steele announcing her departure from the network shortly after. In her lawsuit against CAA, Steele claims that the agency failed to make it clear in her contract with ESPN that she would not be required to apologize for her comments about the vaccine mandate.

She also alleges that CAA misled her about the level of review her contract received from the agency's legal department, claiming that a junior attorney was assigned to review it rather than a senior-level attorney.

The lawsuit further alleges that CAA had a conflict of interest in representing Steele during her dispute with ESPN because the agency also represents several other high-profile ESPN personalities, including Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski.

Steele argues that this conflict of interest prevented CAA from fully advocating for her interests and led to her receiving a less favorable settlement than she could have otherwise obtained.

CAA has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital reached out to CAA for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Steele's lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges to ESPN's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The mandate has been a source of controversy within ESPN and has led to the departure of several employees.

In August 2021, ESPN commentator Katie Nolan announced that she was leaving the network after ESPN refused to grant her a religious exemption from the vaccine mandate. Nolan has since joined the women's soccer league NWSL as a commentator.

The controversy over ESPN's vaccine mandate has raised questions about the limits of free speech in the workplace and the rights of employees to express their opinions, even if those opinions are controversial or unpopular.