Shannon Sharpe Thanks Skip Bayless on Final Appearance on ‘Undisputed’
The relationship between two sports announcers, NFL Hall of Famer, Shannon Sharpe, and Skip Bayless had recently become contentious. Now that the former football player has hosted his last “Undisputed” sports show, he gave Bayless an emotional message which included gratitude for partnering with him for the television program.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Sharpe (as well as his popular podcast, “Club Shay Shay”) would be leaving Bayless and Fox Sports after the conclusion of the NBA Finals, which took place on June 12.
The last appearance for Sharp occurred on June 13 and in his farewell speech, he thanked the controversial Bayless for allowing him to share the spotlight of the show with him.
“Skip Bayless. You fought for me brother. I’m here because of you. You allowed me to share the stage with you. You allowed me to share the platform. I’m going to cry in the car but I’m not going to cry now. The opportunity that you gave me to become what I became, I’m very indebted to you. I’ll never forget what you did for me. You’ve helped me grow more than you’ll ever know. All I ask is when you lay your head on that pillow at night, know I gave everything I had.”
(Sharpe cried)
Bayless responded by acknowledging the great work that Sharpe did on “Undisputed” although he referred to him as an adversary instead of a hosting partner.
“I want to thank you for dedicating yourself to this job. It is a voracious beast of a show, day after day after day. You dedicated yourself to this job just the way you dedicated yourself to professional football as a Hall of Famer. I want to thank you for never taking a sick day. I want to thank you for preparing as hard as you could, every single day. Every single topic. I want to thank you for competing as hard as you competed with me. Because the greatest compliment I can give you is you were a worthy adversary.”
Unc Shannon sharpe got emotional thanking Skip bayless 🥺😭❤️💯 pic.twitter.com/RhkOpX353L
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) June 13, 2023
Although no official reason had been given for Sharpe’s departure, fans of the show knew that Sharpe and Bayless had been at odds in recent months.
Before joining Undisputed, the 54-year-old Sharpe was on the ESPN morning debate show First Take with superstar sports provocateur Stephen A. Smith in 2016.
Shannon Sharpe Thanks Skip Bayless on Final Appearance on ‘Undisputed’