Stephen A. Smith isn’t one to mince words -- and he didn’t hide his feelings when he addressed Shannon Sharpe’s Fox Sports 1 (FOX) buyout.
The lead host of ESPN’s "First Take" took to his podcast "The Stephen A. Show" on Friday and said he was not surprised that Sharpe left FS1 and his show "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed." Smith cited the public disagreement between Sharpe and co-host Skip Bayless as the reason why.
“I know Skip Bayless, and when that moment happened, I said, ‘This is over,’” Smith said.
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Smith, who previously hosted "First Take" with Bayless, said he will “never disrespect” his former colleague whom he partly credits for reviving his career at Disney's (DIS) ESPN.
He also said he’s not completely sure about what is going on behind closed doors, and that he has yet to speak to either Bayless or Sharpe.
However, the ESPN host also put out an invitation to the estranged Fox host.
“If Shannon Sharpe needs me, I’m happy to be there for him,” Smith said. “If that included him coming on ‘First Take,’ the bosses at ESPN know that is something I would support.”
He also added that if the former host of FS1’s "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" was interested to jump to ESPN’s "First Take," it would be on a weekly basis instead of the daily format on FS1.
Sharpe would join a long list of Smith’s rotating co-hosts on "First Take" such as Michael Irvin, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Russo, and Ryan Clark. But only Smith is a consistent host on the program.
“If Shannon Sharpe wants to join that roster, there’s no resistance from Stephen A.,” Smith said.
The New York Post reported on May 31 that Sharpe and Fox agreed to a buyout that would have him leave the network upon the conclusion of the NBA Finals in mid-June.
