SHANNON Sharpe has spoken out about her painful split from Skip Bayless, which ended the Skip and Shannon era of the show Undisputed.
The three-time Super Bowl champion co-hosted the FS1 show for seven years before leaving the network to join ESPN in 2023.
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In an appearance on Cam Newton’s show Fun Friday podcast, Sharpe, 56, confirmed that the December 2022 on-air confrontation with Bayless, 72, was the final straw.
During that show, the two Undisputed hosts butted heads over Tom Brady’s form during his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Skip finally launched a personal attack on the NFL icon, who criticized Brady.
The veteran sportscaster said the legendary quarterback was better than Sharpe, while also suggesting his on-air partner was jealous.
“And in that moment, thinking about it because I said Tom Brady wasn’t playing well — and he wasn’t playing well,” Shannon told Newton.
“And I think [honesty] is one of the things most people like about me… I was disappointed with the way [was] manipulated.
“I felt the situation could have been handled better by management.”
Sharpe said he felt disrespected, even though he defended Bayless and treated him as a partner in crime.
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“If someone else had said what Skip said, I wouldn’t have batted an eye,” the retired tight end said.
“But we were supposed to be teammates. And I think that’s what hurt me more than anything.
“My teammate, that’s what he thought of me.”
However, Sharpe expressed hope that he would one day reconcile with Bayless.
“I was visibly upset because if someone had told me they would have said that to me, I wouldn’t have believed them,” the now First Take star said.
“But I think one day we’ll sit down and talk.”
Shannon Sharpe’s playing career
Shannon Sharpe was a three-time Super Bowl champion before his career in heavy media.
The former tight end played in the NFL from 1990 to 2003 – mainly for the Denver Broncos.
He was part of the 1998 and 1999 Super Bowl championship teams, as well as the 2001 Baltimore Ravens title-winning team.
Sharpe was an eight-time Pro Bowler and voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He finished with 10,060 yards on 815 receptions and 62 touchdowns.
The former NFL star has had an equally strong career on television screens since retiring.
Sharpe added that to this day he is still trying to figure out whether he could have done more to prevent the conflict.
“Maybe it was a combination of things. Maybe there were some things I should have done differently,” he said.
“Maybe I should have talked to Skip before it even got to that point – maybe said something different.”
“I don’t know. It’s very difficult to say.
“I just think that after seven years and you’re with someone – that’s what I tell people about relationships – it’s easier to grow apart than to grow together.”
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