Alejandro Avila
Videos by OutKick
Ending a celebrated run on FS1 with a heartfelt goodbye, NFL Hall of Famer and “Undisputed” co-host Shannon Sharpe delivered his final appearance on the show Tuesday.
All eyes were set on the conclusion of the NBA Finals for Shannon’s final appearance, and the day finally arrived when he had to look Skip Bayless in the eye and thank him for their 7-year run.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is officially my last day at work,” Sharpe said Tuesday. “After 7 years, the train stops for Shannon Sharpe and ‘Undisputed’ right here.
“You’ll see me again somewhere, I just don’t know where,” Shannon Sharpe added.
The show will carry on without Shannon, but will it be the same?
Ending the program with a tearful outro, Shannon showed gratitude toward his 71-year-old co-host Skip Bayless and moderator Jen Hale.
Here’s what Shannon had to say on his final show.
Shannon Sharpe-Skip Bayless’ Final Exchange:
- SHANNON: “Skip Bayless, you fought for me, brother.”
- SHANNON: “I’m very indebted to you; I’ll never forget what you did for me. You helped me grow more than you’ll ever know.
- SHANNON: “All I ask, is when you lay your head on your pillow at night, know I gave you everything I had.”
- SKIP: “When I first took this job in June 2016, we had a whole other format in mind until it became clear ‘Shannon Sharpe is available.'”
- SKIP: “The critics savaged us when we first started … did we ever show them.”
- SKIP: “You were a worthy adversary.”
- SKIP: “I’m going to miss our LeBron battles, even though he’s still the phony GOAT.”
- SKIP: “This is a happy-sad moment for me because I look forward to your next great achievement, and it is coming.”
Sharpe will be leaving FS1 and taking his podcast, “Club Shay Shay” with him.
The ex-NFL tight end has already been courted by ESPN star Stephen A. Smith, who shared the co-host chair with Bayless on First Take. Bayless first joined ESPN’s morning program, Cold Pizza, alongside longtime sports writer Woody Paige.
Bayless’ firebrand approach to commentary set Shannon Sharpe off several times in the past two years.
From degrading Sharpe’s NFL career in defense of Tom Brady to posting a tweet on Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest, Bayless wore Sharpe thin amid their success on the program.
The hunt continues for Bayless’ new co-chair, with rumored in-house talent like Joy Taylor, LeSean McCoy and Nick Wright floating around the position.
Sharpe and FS1 agreed to a contract buyout, first reported by The New York Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel.
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