Sage Steele is stepping up for ESPN colleague Sam Ponder, who was called a “bigot” in a USA Today column by Nancy Armour.

“Pathetic attack on a WOMAN who is simply fighting for other WOMEN in sports,” Steele, a “SportsCenter” host, said in a tweet supporting Ponder.

“(Nancy Armour) chooses to lead w her emotions vs facts. ‘Follow the science’, right?! When in doubt, just pull the bigot/race card! Comical. Stay strong (Sam Ponder) ..this is a lonely fight, but it’s worth it!”

Meanwhile, Outkick reported that Ponder’s ESPN colleague, columnist Sarah Spain, liked a tweet promoting Armour’s column, suggesting she also thinks Ponder is “a bigot.”

ESPN did not wish to comment on Spain’s social media activity when reached by the website.

Armour was very critical of Ponder and former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, claiming both were hiding behind Title IX as a way to attack transgender athletes.

“Don’t be fooled by the people who screech about ‘fairness’ to cloak their bigotry toward transgender girls and women, the transgender girls and women who have the audacity to want to play sports, in particular,” Armour wrote in her column.

She also called Ponder’s support a “sham” and berated her for not using her platform to fight for more funding for women’s sports.

Gaines, who tied for fifth with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in a race last year, has been the leading voice for female student-athletes concerned about transgender women playing sports against biological women.

Steele has never been shy to give her opinion, suing ESPN over allegedly infringing on her free speech rights and recently supporting Gaines after she claimed she was attacked by students while speaking at San Francisco State University.

Warning: Graphic video

Gaines has been very outspoken about trans women competing in women’s sports since she tied for fifth place with Lia Thomas in the NCAA Championship in 2022.