Stephen A. Smith admits he was ‘surprised’ at Shannon Sharpe’s teary ‘Undisputed’ farewell

Stephen A. Smith has admitted he was taken aback by the emotion displayed between Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless as the NFL Hall of Famer appeared on ‘Undisputed’ for a final time.

It was reported last month by the New York Post that Sharpe had reached a buyout agreement with Fox Sports, with his final show to be after the conclusion of the NBA Finals.

And after the Nuggets wrapped up their series vs. the Nuggets on Monday night, Sharpe tearily announced the next day that it was his last show.

‘I was surprised at the tears,’ Smith said afterwards on his eponymous FanDuel show. ‘I was surprised at the emotion. I’m quite sure some people out there thought it was fake as hell. I don’t feel that way.

‘I know Shannon Sharpe a little bit,’ he continued. ‘I know Skip Bayless very well. Everybody on the planet associated with the world of sports knows how far back Skip Bayless and I go with one another. And to be honest with you, I was really proud at the way they ended their time together.’

Shannon Sharpe got emotional as he appeared on ‘Undisputed’ for a final time on FS1

‘But I gotta tell you, it could not have been handled any better by Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless.’

Smith and Bayless previously worked together on ESPN’s First Take.

And after seven years, Sharpe called time on his partnership with Bayless earlier this week.

‘You fought for me, bruh. I’m here because of you,’ Sharpe said to Bayless on his send-off show. ‘You’ve allowed me to share the stage with you, you allow me to share the platform.

‘I’ll never forget what you did for me… 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 a ‘voracious beast of a show’.

‘You dedicated yourself to this job like you dedicated yourself to professional football as a Hall of Famer,’ the 71-year-old said. ‘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.

‘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.’

While the pair ended on a positive note, their separation comes after some tension between them in recent months.

Most notably, they clashed over Bayless’ opinion on the NFL’s handling of Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest back in January.

‘No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game — but how?’ Bayless said 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.’

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

Sharpe was absent from ‘Undisputed’ the next day and said he wished Bayless would’ve deleted his tweet upon returning to the show. 

Bayless also got personal in December when he compared Sharpe retiring at 35 to Tom Brady playing up to 45.

‘I did what I did!’ Sharpe responded to Bayless. ‘You make it seem like I was a bum! I’m in the effin’ Hall of Fame. I got three Super Bowls!’

Bayless did not back down, saying: ‘So what? He’s way better than you were.’

While Sharpe’s time with Fox Sports has come to an end, it’s unlikely he steps out of the limelight completely. 

 ‘You’ll see me again somewhere, he said Tuesday. ‘I just don’t know where.’