Ex-ESPN anchor praised for speaking out on Disney-owned network's alleged 'hypocrisy': 'One brave woman'

Ex-ESPN anchor Sage Steele received praise as "one brave woman" Sunday, nearly two weeks after she publicly announced her decision to part ways with the network on the heels of a lawsuit settlement to "exercise [her] First Amendment rights more freely."

The veteran broadcaster alleged ESPN breached her contract over comments she made during a September 2021 podcast interview blasting the network's parent company Disney for its vaccine mandate and criticizing former President Barack Obama for identifying as Black instead of biracial.

She has since garnered support for breaking silence about the network's alleged "hypocrisy," and now has activists Riley Gaines and Enes Kanter Freedom in her corner.

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"She's fearless. She's amazing at what she's doing, and she's a one brave woman, and I applaud and am proud of her work that's trying to hold people and companies accountable," Kanter Freedom said Sunday on "Fox & Friends Weekend."

The former NBA star, who has also become a champion for human rights, said that "cancel culture" has become a major aspect of the sports world.

"You cannot really say how you feel or what you want to say, or you will get canceled. So that's why it's so hard for athletes to come out and say something because they know what you're going to get."

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He continued his praise for Steele afterward, calling her a "role model" for those in the sports industry who want to speak out.

Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer, has made headway in the women's rights movement for her outspoken stance on transgender athletes competing alongside biological females. She said Steele's courage inspires her to "keep going."

"There are so very few people, whether that's in sports, in academia, in corporate America, in the medical profession, even in the church, there are so very few people willing to stand for what is right, but Sage is one of those. She's someone who I go to for advice. She's someone who inspires me to keep going. We need more people like Sage," she said.

"And if I was a woman working at ESPN, especially in light of how they've approached this women's sports issue, I'd walk out."

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Steele sat down with "One Nation" host Brian Kilmeade on Saturday, where she shared more about her decision to depart the network after sixteen years.  She said she stayed quiet for years, concerned she might ruffle feathers, but things eventually went too far.

"I didn't know what my line was until it was crossed," Steele said. 

"And then I knew I had to make the hardest decision of my life to fight back against the company that I literally… I love my job. When you stand up, and you have a lawsuit, you know that that's going to go away. And I was so scared. But I knew that I had to push through that fear and fight or else shut up and stay silent."

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In a statement previously issued to Fox News Digital, the network said the following: "ESPN and Sage Steele have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank her for her many contributions over the years."

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Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and Ryan Morik contributed to this report.