Shannon Sharpe & Skip Bayless – Source: (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)
Shannon Sharpe recently dropped by the Stephen A. Smith podcast and finally explained how bad things had gotten on UNDISPUTED before his departure amid his fallout with Skip Bayless.
A few weeks ago Stephen A. Smith dropped by Shannon Sharpe’s podcast to kick off their on-air working relationship, so it was only right Shannon returned the favor. Over the weekend he did just that, and during the taping, Stephen A. asked about the on-air disrespect that ultimately led to Shannon being “pushed out” from UNDISPUTED.
According to Sports Illustrated, both men recognized in unison it was the beginning of the end for Shannon and Skip once a confrontation happened over Tom Brady. As previously reported Bayless shaded Shannon about “having to stop playing football at 35” in comparison to Tom Brady, who played the game into his 40s.
Shannon was seen struggling to compose himself and at one point, took off his glasses.
“In all of my TV career, that probably was… I remember going home, calling my sister, I called my brother … It took a lot for me to not put my hands on him, it actually did,” Sharpe recalled on Stephen A. Smith’s podcast. “Why would I be jealous of Tom Brady. …Tom was like me, given an opportunity. He made the most of that opportunity.”
“He [Skip] felt that he could go over the top in that situation,” Sharpe said. “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 is only a matter of time because I felt in that moment he had lost all respect for me. …This is Undisputed. Skip and Shannon. This is not yours. So, it really, really hurt me. Had I attacked him personally live on television, what would’ve happened?”
Sharpe also revealed that he and Skip Bayless didn’t have a relationship outside of the workplace despite how it appeared. He even went as far as to reveal they barely spoke before the show when they both entered the building.
Stephen A. Smith then chimed in stating that’s exactly how Skip was during his time working with him because “he sees the show as a battle.”
UNDISPUTED is currently struggling to find its stride with rotating co-hosts, but hopefully Bayless will figure things out.
You can watch the full interview with Stephen A. Smith and Shannon below.
