Sage Steele, in a lawsuit against her former employer, ESPN, accused the analyst Ryan Clark To refuse to work with her because of opposing political views.
Clarke recently admitted “The Michele Tafoya Show” This part of the accusation was not false, but he felt the need to clear the air.
Tafoya asked Clark about the lawsuit, which claimed Clark refused to work with Steele after she made controversial comments on former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler's podcast in 2021.
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ESPN analyst Ryan Clark broadcasts from the field before a game between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets at Levi's Stadium on September 9, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
On the podcastSteele reflected on her appearance on “The View” in which she said Barbara Walters “fooled me” by saying it was “important” to label herself as biracial.
Walters then pointed out that former President Barack Obama, who is biracial, chose “black” when filling out census paperwork, Steele said.
“I say, 'Well, congratulations to the president. That's his thing. I think that's pretty cool considering his black father was nowhere to be found, but his white mother and grandmother raised him. But hey, you do it,'” Steele said on Cutler's podcast. : “I'll do mine.”
Clark said he disagreed with Steele on several political topics, including her stance on vaccination and the Colin Kaepernick protests, but he had “no problem” with her being conservative.
“Sage Steele being conservative was ESPN's worst-kept secret,” the first Pittsburgh Steelers The defensive back quipped.
However, her comments about Obama were the “only” thing that “offended” him and prompted him to talk to a producer at ESPN about hosting a segment together.
Sage Steele takes the stage during a Donald Trump campaign rally at Lancaster Airport on November 3, 2024, in Lititz, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)
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“As a black man he understands that no matter what President Obama decides to check his race, he will be viewed as a black man as an entire country. He will be viewed as a black man if the cops say, 'The suspect is black.'” A tall, thin, light-skinned man, President Clark said. “Obama fits that description.”
“He's also a man who was married to a black woman. He was also a man who was raising two young black daughters. And I felt it was disrespectful to say, 'Why would someone with that blood running through his veins want to represent that?' ” culture?'”
Clark admitted he told a producer he wanted another host, Matt Barry, “to run my segment.”
“Because what I know is that chemistry is a big part of television. It's a big part of our ability to entertain. And I didn't want her to come across as uncomfortable with what she said on screen,” Clark said.
Clark said it was a one-off with Steele, and they were able to “work…in a very amicable way” until she left ESPN. They no longer speak, he added, “but I wish her the best in all her endeavors.”
ESPN's Ryan Clark talks with teammates live before a game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 4, 2023, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. (Peter Gonnelet/Ikon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“Now she's found a place where, entertainment-wise, she feels like she's right, and she feels like she has a voice and she has a passion. And I feel like we should all have that, whether she agrees or not.”
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