The great rivalries of the NFL gave us great games and great stories. What we didn’t expect was a Hall of Famer and a profound confession.
Shannon Sharpe, Denver Broncos legend, knows firsthand what it’s like to face his AFC West rivals. However, there were two of them he came to hate, even though he had a lot of respect for them before they became his rivals.
In the new episode of the Nightcap podcast, Sharpe revealed that both the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs motivated him to give his all and more on the field.
“When I went to the Broncos, we hated the Raiders. The Raiders never did anything to me. I used to like the Raiders. Now I hate the Raiders, too. I hate Kansas City, yeah for sure,” Sharpe told his co-host, Joe Johnson.
Despite this, Sharpe also revealed a hidden motive, beyond the well-known rivalry, that further increased his desire to defeat the team he once followed.
The story behind his desire to win
The truth is that when a player joins a team that is not the one he followed during his childhood or adolescence, he has to change his perspective. It is likely to be your rival, and there will be no mercy just because of fanaticism.
Shannon learned this very well. After his coach told him a serious reason why he was coming from the Raiders, the three-time Super Bowl champion made him a promise:
“Mike Shanahan was the coach for the Raiders for like 20 games, and then Al Davis fired him, and then wouldn’t pay him his money,” Sharpe began, adding: “Told him, ‘Guess what? Sue me. It’ll cost you more than what I owe you in lawyer fees.’ So, Mike told us the story. Oh, that man owes you and won’t pay? We are going to beat the hell out of this team.” And so it was, the Broncos posted a 9-3 record with victories by as many as 28 points over the Raiders.
However, Shannon also had another rival in mind that he wanted to make suffer: the Kansas City Chiefs. And not just the team, but one of its players who, without a doubt, enhanced the former tight end’s game and made him an NFL star.
“Albert Lewis is what really made me a Hall of Famer, a Pro Bowl player. Because I felt that if I could beat him, because he’s the toughest defender I’ve ever had to go against. And then they got Carter and they got Hasty. Man, please,” he confessed.
And that’s how Sharpe managed to let his rivalry take him much higher than he expected. Giving it his all on the field not only led him to great victories with his team, but individually, he won three Super Bowl rings, became a Hall of Famer, and, of course, got revenge on his rivals.
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