Former ESPN host Sage Steele claims 'it's all gonna come out' as she breaks her silence on Sam Ponder firing

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The former SportsCenter anchor claimed 'it's all gonna come out' when she defended the axed Sunday NFL Countdown host in an emotional video.

'This is another loss for ESPN, but it is a gain for literally the rest of the world because now you're going to see the true Sam Ponder,' Steele said in a social media clip on Friday.  

'It's all going to come out, and I hope you're ready. She is a gem,' she went on. 

The network fired Ponder and football analyst Robert Griffin III as part of a cost cutting exercise earlier this week, though many speculated whether the 38-year-old was let go because of her controversial remarks about trans women. 

Sage Steele spoke out in the wake of her pal Samantha Ponder's firing from ESPN

The former SportsCenter anchor left ESPN in 2023 after more than 16 years at the network

Steele went on to explain her friendship with her former coworker, whom she bonded with over their shared faith. 

'Samantha has taught me so much about God, about scripture, about the bible, about not giving up and about standing tall. And you know what, she's done that for the last several years at ESPN, even when it was hard,' she said. 

'When I was still at ESPN, we would talk about it all the time. And I just need everyone to know, this is a brilliant woman, an incredible mother who's also made me an incredible mother, who's also made me a better mother … and I'm so excited for her future. It's so scary when you're in it; you don't know if you're going to ever be OK,' Steele went on. 

'Sam already knows that this is such a blessing that God is bestowing upon her because there's so much more for her to do.'

Steele further emphasized her love for Ponder, captioning the clip, 'I love you, [Sam Ponder],' alongside a red heart emoji. 

38-year-old Ponder was fired earlier this week as part of a cost-cutting exercise 

She is being released 2 years into her 3-year, $3 million deal, but will receive her full salary

The 38-year-old Ponder is being released two years into her three-year, $3 million deal, but will receive her full salary, DailyMail.com has learned. Furthermore, the timing of the decision was dictated by the approaching end of the fiscal year on September 30, a source told DailyMail.com.

Ponder recently posted a comment on X about the gender controversy surrounding Khelif, a women's boxer accused of having XY chromosomes. 

'XY= male XX= female,' Ponder wrote. 

Steele, for her part, left the network in August 2023 after settling a lawsuit she filed, claiming she was taken off air for comments she made about the the company's COVID-19 vaccine policy.

'I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely,' she wrote on social media after 16 years at the company.