Sage Steele, a former ESPN star, believes that the company should have been "destroyed" for not playing the national anthem before the Sugar Bowl.

Sage Steele, a former ESPN broadcaster, criticized the network for not showing the national anthem on its main channel before the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, which took place just a day after a terrorist attack in the city.

On "OutKick the Morning," Steele was taken aback by ESPN's decision not to show the national anthem, which the company attributed to "timing issues."

Steele shared with Charly Arnolt on Tuesday that the situation was so egregious that he tweeted about it and posted it on Instagram. Although he tries to stay away from discussing his former employer, he couldn't help but feel compelled to speak out about this particular decision. Steele expressed his gratitude for the years he spent in that life but was relieved to move on.

"You are a mile away from the scene of the murders that took place on the morning of the ESPN game, and you ignored it while people were suffering. You were rightfully crushed for not taking it seriously."

ESPN's decision to show the pregame prayer last week was a response to the criticism it faced over the Sugar Bowl.

"I believe that the national anthem was shown as a reaction to the incident. However, I think it went too far. Do you need to show the prayer as well? I also believe that the prayer was intended to pray for the victims of the California fires and the terrorist attack in New Orleans. We're a little late for that."

"Steele stated, "I pray every day for those people, so we shouldn't be focused on that. However, from a business perspective, we should be consistent. It wouldn't be good if they were consistent in doing the wrong thing for humanity.""

"This is more than just business or sports; it's about humanity. I wasn't surprised by what happened at the Sugar Bowl, but I was deeply saddened and disappointed because this is one of the reasons why ESPN has lost its former glory."

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