Shannon Sharpe Shocker: NFL Legend Exiting 'Undisputed'
Shannon Sharpe will no longer be battling Skip Bayless daily. According to the New York Post, the NFL Hall of Fame tight end has reached a buyout agreement with Fox Sports and will no longer be on the FS1 show Undisputed. His final show is expected to be aired after the NBA Finals end later this month. The outlet also said that Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast will no longer be on Fox Sports.
Sharpe and Bayless have had public friction after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during the Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bayless tweeted: "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."
After the tweet, Sharpe stayed home from Undisputed the following morning. The two then disagreed on whether the FS1 bosses wanted Bayless to explain the tweet. "I cannot even get through a monologue without you interrupting me," Sharpe said to Bayless on the show in January.
The New York Post said Sharpe did not seek to be the leader of the show but wanted to be equal with Bayless in the show's topic selection. Another issue is Shapre is close with LeBron James, while Bayless has been very critical of the NBA superstar over the years. Sharpe joined Undisputed in 2016 when Bayless left EPSN. At that time, Bayless was hosting First Take with Stephen A. Smith.
Sharpe, 54, began his NFL career in 1990 when he was selected in the seventh round by the Denver Broncos in the NFL Draft. He was with the team for nine seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl seven times, selected to the All-Pro Team five times and helped the Broncos win two Super Bowls. Sharpe joined the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 and led the team to Super Bowl win that season. In 2001, Sharpe was named to his eighth Pro Bowl after catching 73 passes for 811 yards. He returned to the Broncos in 2002 and was there for two seasons before announcing his retirement. In his career, Shapre caught 815 passes for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.