Michele Steele is “turning the page.”
The 14-year ESPN veteran announced her departure from the network in a social media post on Thursday.
“After a 14-year journey at ESPN, spanning assignments in Bristol, Boston, and Chicago, this chapter as a bureau reporter concludes on Aug. 1.
“My Day 1 assignment in the Boston bureau was the day Aaron Hernandez was arrested – fulfilling my dad’s prophecy that you really will be surprised what you wind up doing in life. Great times with great people covering Monday Night Football on SportsCenter, the women’s hoops juggernaut, the National Spelling Bee and the Warrior Games, which I loved so much because of my family’s military connection. Along the way, there was a heavy dose of SportsCenter anchoring and a little podcasting, too.
“ESPN has some of the best storytellers, producers and editors around, and I’m thankful to have learned so much.
“Recently, I shared advice on a friend’s podcast for those entering the industry: ‘walk through open doors.’ Don’t be too rigid about your career, open yourself to possibilities. It’s that approach that got me from reporting on Wall Street to the anchor chair in Bristol and front and center at championship games. Now, I’m taking my own advice.
“Up next: Looking forward to building and growing…if you’re at AAJA in Seattle this month, let’s connect… watch this space.”
Steele joined ESPN in 2011 after serving as an anchor for Bloomberg Television. She was the network’s first full-time sports reporter. Throughout her career at ESPN, she’s interviewed the likes of Roger Goodell, Robert Kraft, and Jerry Jones.
Her primary role at the Worldwide Leader was as a reporter. Steele was based out of Chicago and covered numerous stories throughout the Midwest for ESPN. She made regular appearances on SportsCenter as both a reporter and fill-in anchor, on NFL Live, and on Outside the Lines.
It’s unclear what exactly is “up next” for Steele, though it seems she’ll be updating her social media followers in due time.