Shannon Sharpe broke his silence and spoke out after his separation from ESPN was made public.
The former Denver Broncos star had taken a break from the “First Take” program in April after a woman from Nevada alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by Shannon for two years while they were in a relationship. The woman sought $50 million in damages. Sharpe denied these allegations, calling them “false and disturbing.”
Although the details of the settlement were not disclosed, the lawsuit was quietly resolved in the middle of this month. The complaint was dismissed with prejudice. However, he will not be returning to the sports network as a commentator.
What did Sharpe say?
When The Athletic shared the news of the breakup between the two parties, Shannon spoke about it shortly thereafter on his podcast “Nightcap.” There, he stated that he is “at peace” with the decision and that he had been aware of it since earlier this week, but hoped that things would turn out differently.
He knew that such news would attract a lot of attention. Considering that his brother and former Green Bay Packers wide receiver, Sterling Sharpe, would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, he had hoped to wait until Monday to break the news. However, this was not the case.
The only thing I really asked is, “Guys, could we wait until Monday? My brother’s going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I really want it to be about him and I want it to be about my family. This coming out will overshadow everything he’s worked his entire life for.” And, unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.
In addition, in this episode, Shannon commented that he is very happy to have been part of the sports media and apologized repeatedly to his brother for this situation.
“I really enjoyed my time at ESPN, they gave me an opportunity to bring my audience that saw me really just grow. They did what they felt they needed to do, I’m at peace with that,” Sharpe said on his podcast.
I just wish this thing could’ve waited until Monday because I hate the fact that I am overshadowing my brother. First two brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and this is what the headline is going to be for the next couple of days.
Despite winning the affection of fans in debates alongside Stephen A. Smith, his departure marks a significant change, both for his career and for the program, which had increased its audience numbers with his presence.
Despite this, Sharpe remains active through his two podcasts: “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap.”
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