Weeks after Shannon Sharpe started appearing on ESPN’s ‘First Take,’ he stated his thoughts about leaving FS1’s ‘Undisputed.’ The Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end was Skip Bayless‘ debate partner from September 2016 to June 2023.
As Sharpe shared on the September 23, 2023, episode of Stephen A. Smith‘s eponymous podcast, the disrespect he felt from Bayless was the beginning of the end for their professional partnership. During that contentious discussion, the three-time Super Bowl winner felt Bayless disregarded what he has achieved in the NFL.
“Whatever the relationship is, once one partner has no respect for the other, the other partner then, in turn, loses respect for said partner. Then I think it’s only a matter of time. Because I felt at that moment he had lost all respect for me. He had no respect for me.”
The debate in question occurred on December 12, 2022, when Sharpe and Bayless discussed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ Week 14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Sharpe explained his case to Smith, saying he was referencing Tom Brady‘s performance in that game, not what he did three months or years before.
To Shannon Sharpe’s credit, the Buccaneers lost that game by 28 points. While Brady had 253 passing yards, he threw two interceptions and completed only 34 of 55 passing attempts. Likewise, the Buccaneers scored their only points in the third quarter after being down 28-0 at halftime.
However, Bayless saw it differently and started comparing Brady’s career with Sharpe’s. The veteran sports media personality said that Shannon Sharpe was jealous of Brady because the quarterback was still playing at a high level at 45 years old while Sharpe “had to stop at 35.”
That incident soured Sharpe and Bayless’s partnership. It was only a matter of time before an inevitable split occurred because Sharpe couldn’t fathom that Bayless would go that route.
What Made Shannon Sharpe Upset About His Split with Skip Bayless
There were countless heated exchanges during the seven years Sharpe and Bayless shared the ‘Undisputed’ debate table. But after that incident, the eight-time Pro Bowl tight end felt their relationship was beyond repair.
What hurt Shannon Sharpe the most about that split, especially that incident, was that Bayless made a personal attack while losing the debate. In addition to diminishing his achievements during his playing career, Sharpe saw no sense in comparing a quarterback with a tight end.
“When I stood up when guys have come on that show and tried to attack him personally, I was his bodyguard. I took the blows and said, ‘Hey, this is Undisputed: Skip and Shannon. This is not yours.’ So, I was very hurt and disappointed that he chose to go there with me when I’ve been one of the guys that’s been in his corner. So, it really, really hurt me.”
Since then, Sharpe has buried that incident and has blossomed in his sports media career. In addition to regular appearances on ‘First Take,’ he’s also producing the ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast, which he clarified that he wholly owned, even if FOX Sports helped him with some production costs during the earlier episodes.
He’s also co-hosting the ‘Nightcap’ podcast with former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson, which is part of Colin Cowherd‘s The Volume podcast network.