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 buyout which is expected to be done after the NBA Finals has concluded.
On Friday, the presenter of ESPN’s “First Take” podcast “The Stephen A. Show” said he was not shocked that Sharpe left FS1 and his show “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.” Smith attributed this to a public feud between Sharpe and co-host Skip Bayless.
Smith said he’d support adding the Hall of Fame tight end to his show.
On his latest podcast, the ESPN personality doubled down on that sentiment.
“I meant what I said. I respect the brother. If he wants to come on First Take, I’m here for it. I support him. He wants to go elsewhere, that’s fine. He wants to get his own show and he’s got his own aspirations, I’m fine with that, too,” Smith said.
However, he made it clear that he is not looking for Sharpe or anyone else to join him as a permanent co-host. He declared that altering First Take’s format “ain’t happening.”
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“I welcome Sharpe to First Take, but it would be in the mix of being a part of the family,” he added. “I like the potpourri of contributors.”
Smith shouted out Michael Irvin who hasn’t appeared on First Take since getting pulled from Super Bowl coverage after an alleged incident with a female staffer at an Arizona hotel. His analyst career is in serious jeopardy because of these allegations.
Stephen A. Smith knows exactly what it’s like to work with Skip Bayless. The two sports media personalities ran ESPN’s First Take for years before Bayless departed for Fox Sports.
Sharpe is likely to speak on his departure once his career with Fox Sports is over.
