UPDATE: October 5 at 1:31 p.m.

ESPN has been a hotbed for controversy and in the case of Sage Steele, it’s no different. The anchor received a suspension from the giant sports programming network due to her public criticisms of the company’s vaccine mandate and former President Barack Obama’s race and his lack of a father, according to The Hill. 

ESPN released a statement saying, “At ESPN, we embrace different points – dialogue and discussion makes this place great. That said, we expect that those points of view be expressed respectfully, in a manner consistent with our values, and in line with our internal policies. We are having direct conversations with Sage and those conversations will remain private.” 

UPDATE: October 5 at 11:21 a.m.

Sage Steele has tested positive for the coronavirus just after she revealed she was vaccinated as part of her job requirement, according to Front Office Sports. As a result of her diagnosis, she has been pulled off the air and is expected to be away for at least a week. 

RELATED: ESPN’s Sage Steele Critical of Vaccine Mandates, Barack Obama

Steele has been working at ESPN since 2007 and is known for making controversial comments. Recently, she was on a podcast hosted by former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler where she criticized ESPN’s vaccine mandates, former President Barack Obama’s race identification and was labeled the “Candace Owens of ESPN.” 

Today, the ESPN anchor said she was apologetic about the comments. 

“I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize. We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully,” Steele said via John Ourand on Twitter. 

RELATED: Rachel Nichols Apologizes to Maria Taylor

According to Front Office Sports, the ESPN anchor is expected to be unavailable as host of the espnW: Women + Sports Summit, which will take place from October 18 to 20. 

This is a developing story that will be updated.