ESPN reporter Allison Williams has left her position at the network over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Over the weekend, 37-year-old Allison Williams announced she’d be leaving ESPN. This all comes after the network implemented a vaccine mandate for its employees.
“I have been denied my request for accommodation to not get the vaccination,” said Williams in an Instagram video post.
In her caption, she wrote: “An update on my status with ESPN. I tried, unsuccessfully, to keep this brief and not get emotional. Whether you agree or disagree with me, thanks for listening. I will not echo or harbor the hostility that some may feel toward my decision. Doing everything I can to move forward and stay positive,” Williams wrote.
In July, the Walt Disney Co., a co-owner of ESPN, announced that all salaried and non-union hourly employees would have to get vaccinated within 60 days, NBC News reports. Williams said last month that she and her husband “decided not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine” while she and her husband were trying for a second child.
“I am also so morally and ethically not aligned with this, and I’ve had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals, and ultimately I have to put them first,” Williams continued in her video. She added that she “cannot put a paycheck over principle.”
“I will not sacrifice something that I believe and hold so strongly to maintain a career,” said Williams.
