Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Longtime ESPN Reporter Announces Departure After 14 Years

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 3:43 PM ET

There have been a lot of changes at ESPN this summer alone and one ESPN reporter has apparently decided to leave on her own too.

On Thursday, longtime ESPN reporter Michele Steele announced that she is leaving the network. She departs after 14 years and her final day will be on August 1.

"I'm turning the page..." Steele wrote. "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..."

I'm turning the page...

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… pic.twitter.com/VHx00UF2f8
— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) July 17, 2025

Steele has not yet announced any plans for the future but will be at the Asian American Journalists Association in Seattle to network with people this week.

"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 got her B.A. in economics at the University of Illinois and her master's in journalism from Columbia. She worked as a daily contributor at Forbes on Fox before joining Bloomberg Television Network.

In 2011, Steele joined ESPN, becoming a cross-platform anchor and reporting, often doing reports on major sports from remote locations.

We wish Steele all the best on her future plans.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: