Shannon Sharpe, the former NFL star who co-hosted “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” with Skip Bayless on Fox Sports 1 since 2016, announced his departure from the show Tuesday.
Sharpe’s departure follows a New York Post report last month that the Hall of Fame tight end had reached a buyout agreement with Fox Sports. That report said Sharpe’s final show would air after the NBA Finals, which ended with a Denver Nuggets win over the Miami Heat on Monday night.
Sharpe, 54, teamed with Bayless in 2016, more than a decade after announcing his retirement from the NFL at the end of the 2003 season and transitioning to media, where he served as an analyst, commentator and radio host. He co-hosted “Undisputed” with Bayless, who left ESPN’s “First Take” in 2016.
.@ShannonSharpe says goodbye to Undisputed and thanks Skip Bayless and the fans: pic.twitter.com/iCFbABvipi
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) June 13, 2023
Sharpe’s possible departure became a topic of discussion on social media after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a January game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Before the game was canceled, Bayless wrote on Twitter: “No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game — but how? This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.”
Sharpe did not appear on the air the following morning and, when he returned a day later, he publicly disagreed with Bayless’s tweet and said he hoped his co-host would delete the post. Bayless interrupted Sharpe to say he stood by his tweet, producing a tense exchange where Sharpe said, “I can’t even get through a monologue without you interrupting me.”
On Tuesday, Sharpe wiped away tears as he thanked Bayless and others.
“Skip Bayless, you fought for me, bruh,” he said. “I’m here because of you. You’ve allowed me to share the stage with you. You’ve allowed me to share the platform. All I ask is when you lay your head on that pillow at night, know I gave you everything I had.”
