Shannon Sharpe breaks down in tears as he says goodbye to Undisputed after seven years – as he tells co-host Skip Bayless: ‘I gave you everything I had’
Shannon Sharpe broke down in tears in his emotional goodbye message to Fox Sports’ ‘Undisputed,’ putting an end to his seven-year run as the show’s co-host alongside Skip Bayless.Â
‘Ladies and gentlemen, this is officially my last day at work,’ said the ex-NFL tight end in Tuesday’s episode. ‘After seven years, the train stops for Shannon Sharpe and Undisputed right here.’
Last month, it was well-documented among the show’s fans that the 54-year-old Sharpe and Fox Sports reached a buyout agreement that would allow the three-time Super Bowl champ’ to leave the network after the 2023 NBA Finals, which ended Monday when the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in five to claim the franchise’s first ever title.Â
It comes months after a couple of tense disagreements between Sharpe and co-host Skip Bayless – most notably on how the NFL should handle the response to Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest back in January.Â
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Sharpe took his tissues out when he gave a teary address to his on-air partner during his final appearance on the show.
Shannon Sharpe broke down in tears when saying goodbye to FS’ ‘Undisputed’ on Tuesday
Skip Bayless also looked moved during Tuesday’s episode, calling Sharpe a ‘worthy adversary’
‘I’ll never forget what you did for me,’ Sharpe said. ‘All I ask is when you lay your head on your pillow at night, know I gave you everything I had.’
Bayless thanked Sharpe for dedicating himself to ‘voracious beast of a show’.Â
‘You dedicated yourself to this job like you dedicated yourself to professional football as a Hall of Famer,’ the 71-year-old added. ‘I want to thank you for never taking a sick day. I want to thank you for preparing as hard as you could every single day, every single topic.Â
‘I want to thank you for competing as hard as you could competed with me because you were a worthy adversary. I want to thank you and tell you I love you for what you have done for me.’
Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast is also leaving Fox Sports, according to The New York Post.Â
Sharpe and Bayless endured a difficult start to 2023 after tension was noticeable on air following Hamlin’s health scare on January 2 during the opening minutes of the Buffalo Bills’ matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, which was eventually canceled due to the game’s circumstances.
‘No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game — but how?’ said Bayless on Twitter, just hours after Hamlin’s collapse on the field of Paycor Stadium. ‘This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.’Â
Sharpe was noticeably absent from the episode of Undisputed on January 3, which took place just a day after Hamlin went into an unconscious state. Upon his return on air on January 4, he said he wished Bayless would’ve deleted his tweet.Â
Bayless’s remark on Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest created tension on show back in January
It remains to be seen who’ll replace Sharpe and what the future holds for the show and Sharpe
Bayless eventually apologized for his choice of words.
It now remains to be seen what’s next in store for Bayless, Undisputed, and Sharpe’s career in media.
‘You’ll see me again somewhere, I just don’t know where,’ Sharpe said on Tuesday’s episode, following a few hints on social media over the last couple of weeks.Â
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who said he wasn’t ‘surprised at all’ to learn about Sharpe’s departure, offered his ‘brother’ a spot on the weekly rotation of former-pros-turned-analysts on his show, First Take.Â
It remains unclear if Sharpe will join Fox Sports’ network.Â
DailyMail.com has contacted Sharpe’s representatives for comment.Â
