Shannon Sharpe Breaks Silence On ESPN Firing & His One Regret

Shannon Sharpe is officially out at ESPN, and he’s got a lot to say about it. Once the news was released, the former NFL player swiftly did what he does best: Hop on his platform to break down the situation. On his Night Cap podcast, Sharpe started by saying he found the news out earlier in the week, but wished it’d been kept under wraps a bit longer so as not to dim the light of a big honor his brother, Sterling, will receive this week.  “The only thing I really asked is, like, guys, can we wait until Monday? My brother is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Sharpe said. “I really wanted it to be about him, I really wanted it to be about my family. This coming out would overshadow everything he’s worked his entire life for.”

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Shannon’s older brother was a wide receiver in the NFL and racked up many honors in the late ’80s and early ’90s, including three first-team All-Pro selections, five Pro Bowl selections, receptions leader, and was named to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. This year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement goes down Saturday, Aug. 2, and Shannon apologized profusely to his brother, who told him there was no need.  “Bro, stop apologizing. You don’t have to apologize, I’m your big bro,” Shannon said his brother told him. “I’m gonna love you regardless. We all make mistakes. Bro, I’m done with this. You’re done with it, too.” Sharpe admits he’s going to miss his time at ESPN and the new audience it exposed him to. “They saw me say ‘Lakers in 5’ and saw me say all these funny analogies that my grandparents gave me,” Sharpe said. “And I was able to bring that to ESPN, so I’m very grateful for that.”. Sharpe’s unceremonious cut from ESPN came after he signed onto the network in 2023 for two weekly appearances alongside Stephen A. Smith on First Take. But he got involved with a young woman he met in a hotel gym, who accused him of sexual assault in a $50 million lawsuit in a previously consensual relationship. The case was settled out of court last week, with the woman in question rumored to be Gabrielle Zuniga, reportedly receiving millions in the settlement and retiring from OnlyFans. See social media’s reaction to Sharpe taking the firing in stride below.

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