Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Andrew Joseph

Fans are blaming Shannon Sharpe’s Undisputed exit on a fiery argument with Skip Bayless about Tom Brady

Pro Football Hall of Famer and current Fox Sports personality Shannon Sharpe is reportedly set to leave the network after the NBA Finals, and it was a breakup that many saw coming.

For the past seven years, Sharpe has sparred alongside Skip Bayless in manufactured sports debate on FS1’s Undisputed. But in recent months especially, Bayless’ tendency to get personal with his arguments and interrupt Sharpe has taken a toll on the former NFL player. According to the New York Post, Sharpe finally reached a buyout agreement with Fox this week.

The exit seemed inevitable ever since Sharpe skipped out on Undisputed in response to a tasteless tweet from Bayless about Damar Hamlin’s injury. But many fans are seeing an earlier tipping point in that professional relationship. Back in December, Sharpe was genuinely upset after Bayless took personal shots at him in order to defend Tom Brady.

At one point during the lively argument, Bayless nearly cursed on air as he told Sharpe to put his glasses back on.

To have that happen just a few weeks before the Hamlin injury and subsequent on-set drama, it couldn’t have been ideal for Sharpe who had worked alongside Bayless since 2016.

When that Brady segment went viral on Twitter Wednesday night, many fans were quick to blame that as the real reason for Sharpe’s exit.

This was how Twitter reacted

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.