Shannon Sharpe discusses his Undisputed exit reasons, recalling a heated exchange with Skip Bayless: “It really hurt me”

Fox Sports 1’s Undisputed, once led by Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless, was subject to some major disputes in the media world. The former tight end praised his co-host when departing from the show, and the latter also revealed later that he couldn’t sleep the night before, but the relationship between them was seemingly torn apart.

Though Sharpe has stayed tight-lipped about the whole incident before, he has recently come up with detailed explanations for his exit from the show, and unsurprisingly, the main reason was Bayless.

Shannon Sharpe exits Undisputed due to disagreement with Skip Bayless

The most infamous debate between the host duo occurred back in 2022 when Skip couldn’t resist insulting his co-host to glorify Tom Brady, his favorite NFL player, and went personal by declaring TB12 superior to Sharpe in terms of performance.

While talking to Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take, the ex-NFL star discussed the heated altercation and specified the exact moment that triggered him to consider a divorce from FS1.

“I knew at that moment in time it was only a matter of time, that we were going to have to separate. I knew that, I knew that. I was willing to play out the contract, but I knew it was going to end,” he said.

The veteran went on to say that he considered his former co-host as a friend. However, he just couldn’t digest the insult Bayless directed at his career, and claimed he had played well enough to be inducted to Hall of Fame glory.

“You can say I’m loud, you can say I’m obnoxious, you can say I’m arrogant. But to try to poo-poo my career, a seventh-rounder that started out on special teams and played so well that I got into the Hall of Fame…..I considered Skip a friend. For you to take that kind of personal shot at me, it really hurt me…It really did.”

The former TE also criticized critics who claimed he was made by the current Undisputed host and stated that he possesses enough football knowledge to shed light on related topics on the show.

Shannon Sharpe says he ‘barely talked’ to Skip Bayless off Undisputed

Sharpe seems quite close to Smith, as the duo is often seen enjoying themselves together, and their mindsets also appear to be quite similar. However, during the segment, he revealed that the scenario was not the same with his former co-host, as they had very little communication on the set.

“Skip would get to work, I would get to work. It was really like a heavyweight fight. We barely talked … it was very little communication.”

Nevertheless, the 55-year-old didn’t directly blame Bayless for the communication gap and said he understands that the latter has a habit of speaking less in the morning.

“I took my cues from him. He was not a guy who was very talkative in the morning. He’s treating this like an actual game. I just learned he doesn’t want to be bothered, and I was OK with that.”

The former footballer also expressed how he expected the situation to be handled differently while thanking Fox and FS1 for providing him with the opportunity. What’s your take on Sharpe‘s statements? Tell us in the comments.