ESPN anchor Sage Steele has slammed Disney's 'sick' and 'scary' COVID-19 vaccine mandate and admitted she only got the shot because 'I had to get it done, or I'm out' of the company.
Steele, who co-hosts ESPN's SportsCenter, told Jay Cutler on his Uncut with Jay Cutler podcast she 'didn't want to' get the COVID-19 vaccine but had it earlier that day in order to keep her job.
'I didn't want to do it. But I work for a company that mandates it and I had until September 30 to get it done or I'm out,' she said.
The 48-year-old said she believes getting the vaccine should be a personal choice.
'I respect everyone's decision, I really do, but to mandate it is sick and it's scary to me in many ways.'
ESPN anchor Sage Steele (pictured) has slammed Disney's 'sick' and 'scary' COVID-19 vaccine mandate and admitted she only got the shot because 'I had to get it done, or I'm out'
Steele, 48, went on to say the introduction of vaccine mandates hadn't come as a surprise to her, particularly naming her employer the Walt Disney Company, which owns the sports network.
'I just, I'm not surprised it got to this point, especially with Disney, I mean a global company like that.'
The Walt Disney Company announced July 30 that all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the US working at any of the company's sites must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Unvaccinated employees were told they had 60 days to get the shot. ESPN workers were also included in this mandate.
The company's mandate came ahead of Joe Biden's announcement in early September that all private employers with 100 or more employees must require all staff to get the vaccine or be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing.
The podcast episode featuring Steele, first reported by The Hill, does not appear to be on the homepage for Cutler's series, where the former NFL quarterback speaks with friends, former teammates and athletes about a range of topics.
Yet, it's not the only time Steele has aired her annoyance with COVID-19 protocols.
The ESPN host this week also rallied behind comments made by Orlando Magic basketball star Jonathan Isaac about the vaccine.
Steele, who co-hosts ESPN's SportsCenter, told Jay Cutler on his Uncut with Jay Cutler podcast she 'didn't want to' get the COVID-19 vaccine
'Misrepresentation only allows for others to attack straw men, and not reason with the true ideas and heart of their fellow man,' Isaac tweeted on Sunday.
'It helps no one! True journalism is dying! I believe it is your God given right to decide if taking the vaccine is right for you! Period! More to follow.'
Steele retweeted the post Tuesday and also shared a video of a press conference where Isaac explained his decision not to get the shot and insisted he is 'not anti-vax'.
'And another,' wrote Steele, with arrow emojis pointing to the video.
'Much respect @JJudahIsaac.'
Isaac spoke out after he was among several NBA players named in a Rolling Stone article as 'proudly unvaccinated.'
'When NBA players started lining up for shots in March, Isaac started studying Black history and watching Donald Trump's press conferences,' the piece reads.
It's not the only time Steele has aired her annoyance with COVID-19 protocols. The ESPN host this week also rallied behind comments made by Orlando Magic star Jonathan
