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. 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.
Despite this, 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. 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿.”
Smith Wants Sharpe On First Take
Smith confirmed the rumors on the July 21 edition of The Stephen A. Smith Show. The episode was promoted with the simple tweet, "The rumors are right. I want @ShannonSharpe on First Take." Furthermore, the episode title for that day's show was "Shannon Sharpe, The Playmaker, and First Take's Future." However, there is no official confirmation that Sharpe is actually joining ESPN as of yet. Furthermore, Sharpe is yet to respond to the news himself.
However, the network just went through a round of layoffs that saw the departure of many veteran staffers. Smith even acknowledged a number of the colleagues he had lost during The Stephen A. Smith Show. 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?
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