Sports media personality Sage Steele shared a special message with Nick Saban and his Alabama football players on Tuesday. One of her short statements made a profound impact on them.

“What is your why?”

Saban was sitting in the front row and listening intently to Steele. He took notes and posed for photos with her, per Awful Announcing's Sam Neumann.

With that in mind, Saban might use Steele's message to motivate his team when the college football season kicks off next month.

Sage Steele settled her lawsuit with ESPN last week. “Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely,” she tweeted on August 15.

Steele made headlines after she made controversial comments in Jay Cutler's podcast in September 2021. She considered ESPN's COVID-19 vaccine policy “sick and scary.” She also told Cutler she hesitantly agreed to get vaccinated so she could remain with the company. Steele also criticized former President Barack Obama.

ESPN eventually suspended Steele for her remarks (she apologized for her comments). Steele recently admitted she felt scared when she returned to work several weeks later. She filed a lawsuit against the company in the spring of 2022 for breach of contract and violation of freedom of speech. Sage Steele continued working for ESPN until late July 2023 despite the ongoing legal proceedings.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith recently chimed in on Steele's departure from the company. Although he doesn't agree with all of her takes, he still considered her a “consummate professional.”

Hopefully, Sage Steele's professionalism made an impact on the country's future leaders with the Alabama football team.