Former ESPN personality Sage Steele dismisses rumors about Trump’s press secretary

Sage Steele, the veteran sportscaster best known for her decade-plus career at ESPN, has shot down swirling rumors that she wants to be press secretary in the new Trump administration, calling the murmurs “fake news.”

President-elect Donald Trump has quickly filled out his incoming cabinet since storming to victory last week, but he has yet to name anyone to be his top White House public spokesman.

Axios reported Wednesday that Steele, along with CNN contributor and Bush official Scott Jennings, as well as Republican National Committee spokeswoman Elizabeth Pipko, are all “vying” for the highly coveted role. Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt and former Trump administration official Monica Crowley are also “in the mix,” according to Axios.

SAGE STEELE IS OFF THE SIDELINE AND SPEAKING HIS MIND

President-elect Donald Trump greets Sage Steele at a campaign town hall meeting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on October 20, 2024. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said Thursday that she is not considering the role of press secretary.

Steele, 51, has been a public supporter of the president-elect and bumped into him on the campaign trail when he appeared at an event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, last month.

However, she went to X on Thursday to deny that she was interested in the press secretary role.

“Not sure how these rumors started about me ‘vying’ to be press secretary, but it’s definitely fake news! I haven’t had a single conversation with anyone about that job, and don’t want to!” Steele wrote.

SAGE STEELE UNLEASHES ‘AWESOME’ BITE, SAYS HE ‘LET OFF’ DURING CHAT BEFORE DOING ESPN INTERVIEW

Sage Steele attends “Shaq’s Fun House” at XS Nightclub at Encore Las Vegas on February 9, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Greg Doherty/Getty Images)

“Honestly, it was the honor of a lifetime to be a small part of @TeamTrump during the campaign – something I NEVER imagined – but I wholeheartedly believe in @realDonaldTrump @JDVance and am excited to find ways to continue to serve. It took me years to not be afraid to say goodbye forever and I hope others start to feel the same.

In 2023, Steele left ESPN after 15 years at the network, where she hosted its flagship program “SportsCenter” as well as “NBA Countdown,” among other roles.

In April 2022, Steele filed a lawsuit against ESPN alleging the network violated her free speech rights after she was punished in 2021 for speaking out against parent company Disney’s COVID vaccine mandate and bashed former President Barack Obama for identifying as black instead for biracial.

They settled the lawsuit and she left the network last August.

“After settling my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so that I can more freely exercise my First Amendment rights,” Steele wrote last August. “I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter!”

In March, Steele was named the first podcast host on Bill Maher’s Club Random Studios podcast network.

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Karoline Leavitt, center, is the leading name for press secretary after working as the Trump campaign’s national press secretary throughout the election cycle with great effort. Trump adviser and ally Jason Miller, left, is also believed to be at odds. (Photo by Doug Mills/POOL/AFP)

Karoline Leavitt appears to be the leading name for press secretary after she worked as the Trump campaign’s national press secretary throughout the election cycle with great effort.

Alina Habba, Trump’s legal spokesman and adviser, was also considered a front-runner for the position, but said Thursday that she would “be better served in other capacities.”

Other names floated include Trump adviser and ally Jason Miller, campaign spokesman and adviser Steven Cheung and former Trump administration official Monica Crowley.

Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Emma Colton contributed to this report.