Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele has accused Buccaneers legend Warren Sapp of making life miserable for NFL reporters. Her account involves a tiny towel, a mouthful of tobacco, and a strict rule about shoes.

Steele described the routine in a video she posted on X on October 20. “He would sit only in a very small white towel to make sure everybody was as uncomfortable as humanly possible,” she said.

Steele titled the post “Warren Sapp Made NFL Reporters’ Lives Miserable” and tagged Tony Dungy. She began her career in 1995 after graduating from Indiana University. Her early jobs included reporting in Tampa, and she later spent 2007 to 2023 at ESPN. She now hosts The Sage Steele Show podcast. The post does not say where or when the scenes took place.

She said Sapp then laid a second towel on the floor for the interview. Cameras shot down at him from above. Steele said he “would put the biggest dip possible in his lip so the camera could see every little flake of tobacco.”

Sapp was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a Super Bowl champion. The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him in 2013. He anchored the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense under Dungy, and he was one of four Tampa Bay All-Pros in 2001.

Steele said the interviews followed a pattern. “While you’re asking questions, he would spit pieces of the tobacco to the end of the towel right where your shoes were, and if your shoes touched his towel, oh, he let you know,” she said.

Steele’s recent post comes six days after her October 14 podcast episode with Tony Dungy. Dungy joined her for a 100-minute conversation, nearly 30 years after she first covered his Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The episode’s chapter list mentions Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, and Tampa Bay’s team culture. However, Steele did not confirm whether the clip came from that episode.

“This was the game every single Sunday,” Steele said, explaining what reporters had to deal with. She added that they had little choice but to follow Sapp’s rules if they wanted to get their interviews.

“He’s Warren Sapp, but he knew that he had that power,” she said.

Dungy coached the Buccaneers for six seasons before the team fired him two days after a 31-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2001 season’s wild-card round. Tampa Bay went on to win the Super Bowl the following year under Jon Gruden.

As of Tuesday, Sapp had not publicly responded to Steele’s post. Dungy had also not commented in the sources reviewed.

This is not the first time Steele has spoken publicly about her experience with Sapp. During an earlier appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she recalled her first assignment covering the Buccaneers after working in Indianapolis. According to Steele, Sapp called her over and remarked on her undergarments. She later changed how she dressed for work, she told Kimmel. 

Steele’s latest comments offer another look at what she says reporters faced while covering the NFL. And the bigger question is whether having star power gave players like Sapp too much control over how the media could do its job.