Shannon Sharpe officially announced he is leaving the FS1 show Undisputed and issued an emotional message to co-host Skip Bayless during the show. The that the former NFL star and Fox Sports reached a buyout agreement and Sharpe would end his run on Undisputed after the 2023 NBA Finals, which ended Monday night when the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is officially my last day at work,” Sharpe said on Tuesday’s episode, per the New York Post. “After seven years, the train stops for Shannon Sharpe and Undisputed right here.” Sharpe then spoke to Bayless and thanked him for the opportunity to work with him for the last seven years.
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“Skip Bayless. You fought for me, brother. I’m here because of you,” Sharpe stated, per Yahoo Sports. “You’ve allowed me to share the stage with you. You’ve allowed me to share the platform. I’m going to cry in the car, but I’m not going to cry now. The opportunity that you gave me, to become what I became, I’m forever indebted to you. I’ll never forget what you did for me. You’ve helped me grow more than you’ll ever know. One more thing before you go, Skip. One more thing. All I ask, is when you lay your head of that pillow at night, know I gave you everything I had. I gave you everything I had.”
Sharpe began to tear up as he was speaking to Bayless. And when speaking to the viewers again, Sharpe revealed that “You’ll see me again somewhere, I just don’t know where.” It looks like Sharpe and Bayless have a lot of love and respect for each other despite the reports of tension between the two.
When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, Bayless went to Twitter to write, “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 missed the Jan. 3 episode of Undisputed and told Bayless on Jan. 4 that he wish he would have taken the tweet down. Along with Sharpe leaving Undisputed, his podcast, Club Shay Shay, is also leaving Fox Sports.