Shannon Sharpe’s imminent departure from Fox Sports caught his fellow analysts off guard.
On Wednesday, The Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel reported Sharpe and the network have reached a buyout agreement, with the ex-NFLer’s tenure co-hosting “Undisputed” alongside Skip Bayless will come to an end after the 2023 NBA Finals.
The news came after a palpable on-air tension between Sharpe and Bayless became apparent — even to other media folks.
“I’m stunned by this news of Shannon Sharpe leaving ‘Undisputed,’ I think it’s a huge loss for FS1,” Chris Broussard said on Fox Sports Radio’s “The Odd Couple” on Wednesday night. I thought that he and Skip Bayless had at least gotten to a point where they could coexist, but apparently not.”
The friction between Sharpe and Bayless reached its peak when they disagreed over a tweet sent by Bayless after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in a Week 17 game against the Bengals.
Broussard and co-host Rob Parker pinpointed when they believed the show stopped being about debating opinions and became personal — a Dec. 2022 episode in which Bayless used a Tom Brady comparison to take a shot at Sharpe, a Hall of Fame tight end.
“The moment Skip claimed Shannon was ‘jealous’ of Tom Brady, and Shannon took his glasses off, that was the moment they were separated,” Parker said. “Skip even told him to put his glasses back on, and Skip didn’t like that at all… Chris we’ve had our fights on the radio, but you have to be careful to not cross lines. You never want to hurt your partner to the point you hurt the show.”
The two noted that the buyout showed just how unhappy Sharpe was with his situation, though Broussard and Parker when on to laud Sharpe’s professionalism as it was all going on.
Still, they remain as intrigued as everyone else as to Sharpe’s landing spot.
“It’ll be interesting to see where he goes,” Broussard said.
“He’ll have plenty of suitors because he’s made a brand for himself,” Parker added. “There’ll be a show for him.”
