Shannon Sharpe has broken his silence on his ESPN departure after being axed by the network in the wake of his settled rape lawsuit.
‘Obviously, I’m sure everybody’s heard the news by now that I will not be returning to ESPN,’ he said on Wednesday’s edition of his ‘Nightcap’ podcast.
‘I found out this information a little earlier in the week, and really the only thing that 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.”
‘I said, “This coming out will overshadow everything he’s worked his entire life for.” And unfortunately it didn’t happen that way.’
Sharpe’s younger brother, Sterling, is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame next week 14 years after his older sibling received the same honor.
After stressing that he ‘really enjoyed’ his time with ESPN and that he was ‘very, very grateful for the opportunity’, Shannon stressed that he was disappointed to upstage Sterling with the news of his axing.
Shannon Sharpe has broken his silence on his ESPN departure after being axed by the network
‘They did what they felt they needed to do, and I’m at peace with that,’ he added about his now-former employers. ‘But I just wish this thing could have waited until Monday, because I hate the fact that I’ve overshadowed my brother.
‘The first two brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and this is what the headline’s gonna be for the next few days.
‘Bro, I know you told me I don’t have to apologize, but I’m gonna do it one final time tonight and I won’t apologize again. I’m sorry that I upstaged you in this manner. That was never my intent. You’ve been my hero, you’ve been my role model from as long as I can remember.
‘I apologize and I thank all my fans for supporting me, when I was at ESPN and every place that I’ve been – be it Club Shay Shay, Nightcap, Undisputed, ESPN. Thank you guys for your support.’
