Last month, Shannon Sharpe officially left UNDISPUTED. After seven years, the NFL Hall of Famer left the talk show he co-hosted with Skip Bayless. Additionally, the relationship between Sharpe and Bayless had reportedly drastically deteriorated, prompting Sharpe to leave Fox for greener pastures. However, what those greener pastures actually are remains to be seen.
Sharpe’s departure was yet another seismic shift in the sports media landscape. It came less than a month after Pat McAfee announced that he was leaving FanDuel to join ESPN. The broadcast giant has also been floated as a potential landing spot for Sharpe, with many people wondering if he could be joining Stephen A. Smith on First Take. However, Smith seemed to shoot down those rumors. “Let me revisit a conversation that I had last week about Shannon Sharpe,” Smith began. “I meant what I said. I respect the brother. If he wants to come on First Take, I’m here for it. I support him. He wants to go elsewhere, that’s fine. He wants to get his own show and he’s got his own aspirations. I’m fine with that, too. Got a lot of respect again for Shannon Sharpe. But make no mistake about it, I love my crew.”
Sharpe Quote Tweets Smith
However, the rumors about a potential Sharpe-Smith line-up appear to be back on the table. It all began when the Twitter account Legion Hoops claimed on July 19 that Sharpe had been in talks with ESPN. Smith then quote-tweeted that post with an intriguing message. "Look for me on Friday, Folks! I’ll be addressing all the things I need to address. Back on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” podcast on Friday — then LIVE on @FirstTake Monday morning. See y’all in a minute. Buckle Up!!!" Sharpe then quote-tweeted Smith. "Whatcha addressing on Fri? I’ve got some free time so feel free 2 FT me b4 my meetings. 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿."
So is Sharpe headed to ESPN? Maybe. Obviously, something is happening that is requiring Smith to comment on it. However, the network just went through a round of layoffs that saw the departure of many veteran staffers. Furthermore, they are already on the hook for a massive contract with Pat McAfee. While Sharpe would be a major get for the company, can they afford, both financially and from a PR standpoint, another major acquisition like Sharpe? It appears that we might find out on July 21.
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