"That is not going to happen"- Stephen A. Smith refuses to throw Skip Bayless under the bus despite Shannon Sharpe leaving Undisputed
Sports fans have been waiting for Stephen A. Smith to open up about Shannon Sharpe’s stunning move to leave FS1 and Skip Bayless. The football Hall of Famer reached a buyout with Turner Sports to cease his seven-year co-hosting job with Bayless on the “Undisputed.”
The ESPN analyst finally shared his thoughts via his podcast:
(1:12 mark)
“I sincerely hope, regardless of what opinion that I’m about to give, that y’all don’t make the mistake of assuming that I’m going to speak against my man, Skip Bayless. That’s not going to happen.
“Remember when I told you that I was the star of the No. 1 sports morning show for the last 11 ½ years? The first four years of that were with Skip Bayless. I’m never in that position if it were not for Skip Bayless.
"Skip Bayless asked me to come on “First Take.” Skip Bayless permitted me to come on “First Take.” Skip Bayless fought for me to come on “First Take.” Skip Bayless played a role in restoring my career that I felt had been wrongly taken from me. I will never disrespect him. It will not happen.”
“First Take” started in 2007 but it wasn't until 2011 that Skip Bayless’ role significantly increased. With Bayless at the helm, the show began to grab the attention of avid and casual sports fans. Stephen A. Smith, who was a regular guest at that time, was given a permanent role in 2012.
Last year, Stephen A. Smith had this to say on “The Old Man and The Three” podcast when asked to recall Bayless’ offer to him:
"They weren’t about to give me my own show or anything like that at the time. I thought about it for a couple of days and said I’d do it. One month later, we were No. 1, and we’ve been No. 1 ever since."
The ESPN host has made it incredibly clear that he will not throw his former colleague under the bus.
Stephen A. Smith wasn’t surprised by Shannon Sharpe’s decision to leave Fox Sports and Skip Bayless
Stephen A. Smith didn’t need sources to tell him Shannon Sharpe might bolt out of the “Undisputed.” He had this to say on why he thought the break-up was impending:
(6:54 mark)
“Was I surprised at all that Shannon Sharpe ended up departing from “Undisputed” on FS1? Absolutely not. I’d be a damn liar if I told you that when I saw that transpire on national television, that I didn't believe in my heart that this day wasn’t coming.
“I know Skip Bayless. When that moment happened, I said, ‘This is over. It’s over.’ Because when something like that happens on a public platform, there’s certain things that you just don’t recover from relationship-wise.”
The incident Stephen A. Smith talked about was the heated confrontation between Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless regarding Bayless’ tweet about Damar Hamlin. Earlier this year, the Buffalo Bills safety was carted off the field via an ambulance after he collapsed.
Sharpe didn’t show up for work the following morning and had a testy back-and-forth with Bayless when he reported the next day.
Stephen A. Smith added that he was willing to include Shannon Sharpe as a guest on “First Take” if that’s what Sharpe wants.
Guess the Lakers players!
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