Sage Steele, in a lawsuit against her former employer, ESPN, accused analyst Ryan Clark of refusing to work with her because of opposing political views.
Clark recently admitted on “The Michele Tafoya Show” that the allegation part was not false, but he felt the need to clear the air.
Tafoya asked Clark about the lawsuit, which alleged that Clark refused to work with Steele after he 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 the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium on September 9, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
On the podcast, Steele reflected on an appearance on “The View,” in which he said Barbara Walters “torn me up” for saying it was “important” to label herself as biracial.
Steele said Walters mentioned that former President Barack Obama, who is biracial, chose “black” when filling out paperwork for a census.
“I’m like, well, congratulations to the president. That’s his thing. I think that’s fascinating considering his black father was nowhere to be found, but his white mother and grandmother raised him. But hey, you do it. I’m. I’m going to do it,” Steele said on Cutler’s podcast.
Clark said he disagreed with Steele on many political issues, including her vaccine stance and the Colin Kaepernick protests, but “didn’t have a problem” with her being a conservative.
“Sage Steele was a conservative he was, like the worst kept secret on ESPN,” the former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back joked.
However, his comments about Obama were the “only” thing that “offended” him and led him to talk to a producer at ESPN about arranging a segment together.
Sage Steele takes the stage during a Donald Trump campaign rally at Lancaster Airport on November 3, 2024 in Lititz, PA. (Getty Images)
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“As a black man who understands that no matter what President Obama decides to review as his race, he will be seen as an entire country as a black man. He will be seen if the cops say, ‘The suspect is a black, tall man.’ , thin and light-skinned, ‘President Obama would fit that description,’ Clark said.
“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 like it was disrespectful to say, ‘Why would someone with that blood running through their veins want to represent that culture?’ ?'”
Clark admitted that he told a producer that he wanted another host, Matt Barrie, to “host my segment.”
“Because what I know is this… Chemistry is a big part of television. It’s a big part of our ability to be able to entertain. And he didn’t want my discomfort with what he said on screen,” Clark said.
Clark said it was a one-time thing with Steele, and they were able to “work…in a very cordial manner” until he left ESPN. He added that they no longer speak: “But obviously I wish him all the best in all his endeavors.”
ESPN’s Ryan Clark talks with on-air colleagues before a game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 4, 2023, at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Now you’ve found a place where, entertainment-wise, you feel like you fit, you feel like you have a voice and you have passion. And I feel like we should all have the right to that, whether you agree or disagree.”
