Shannon Sharpe Reportedly Joining Stephen A. Smith On ESPN’s ‘First Take’
According to the New York Post, the Pro Football Hall of Famer is set to join “First Take” host Stephen A. Smith on Mondays and Tuesdays during the football season.
In addition to “First Take,” Sharpe is also seeking a new home for his incredibly popular podcast, “Club Shay Shay.”
Following a contentious disagreement over Skip Bayless’ tweet on Damar Hamiln’s collapse, which prompted him to miss a show in protest in January, Sharpe parted ways with FS1’s “Undisputed” after the NBA Finals in June. He co-hosted the show for seven years.
“Undisputed,” which hasn’t aired an episode since Sharpe’s departure, announced former defensive back Richard Sherman will serve as a co-host and Rachel Nicols has signed on to be a panelist. Also, Lil Wayne, who’s a close friend of Bayless, will be joining the show for segments. Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin have been rumored to be a part of the rotating panel of analysts.
Although all signs are pointing to Sharpe landing at ESPN, Smith, who lobbied for him to return to the network, said that nothing is official.
On the latest episode of his podcast “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” he told his audience that "we all know [Sharpe joining is] something that I want” and said he'd “be a tremendous asset to the show.”
“It’d be great to have him. Here’s the issue: we don’t. … It’s a bit premature,” Smith added. “It has not happened yet. I’m still confident it’ll happen. I still believe it will happen, I think it needs to happen—and I have no doubt that I’m gonna exhaust any means that I have available to me to make it happen.”
Before becoming a sports commentator, Sharpe was a three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro with the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens.