Skip Bayless – Source: Nicholas Hunt / Getty
Skip Bayless finally addressed his exit from FS1 shortly after Shannon Sharpe’s departure, alleging he lost his love for the job.
At one point in time, Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless dominated morning sports shows. Shannon animated nature with Skip’s “get off my lawn” energy, was a match made in heaven. However, one perfectly placed insult by Skip defending Tom Brady would lead to the downfall of the show.
Allegedly Shannon Sharpe was pushed out of FS1, which led to a ratings drop that eventually saw Skip exit the show. Now Shannon is atop the digital sports space while Skip is rebuilding himself yet again.
According to the Washington Post, Skip suggests narratives around his feelings on Shannon’s exit aren’t true. Furthermore, he reveals the loss of Shannon had a major impact on him and seemingly broke him.
“My heart was no longer in it because I didn’t want Shannon to leave, and I fought for him to stay,” Bayless told WaPo‘s Ben Strauss. “It was a shock they pushed Shannon out.”
Surprisingly Bayless says the way Sharpe framed his exit and their fallout “dumbfounds” him.
“It dumbfounds me [that he said I lost respect for him],” Bayless said. “I only gained respect for Shannon Sharpe day after day after day that he could hang on this show.”
Perhaps Skip is struggling to understand just how badly he disrespected Shannon Sharpe presumably because he never played or achieved what the Hall of Famer achieved. Bayless seemingly wants to clear the air, but there were weeks and months to clear it on set.
Skip cleaning his hands in the media isn’t shocking however Stephen A. Smith predicting how everything would happen after the on-air confrontation tells a pattern of Skip’s behavior.
