Stephen A. Smith has admitted that his friend and colleague Shannon Sharpe’s leave from ESPN was inevitable amid the bombshell allegations facing the NFL Hall of Famer.
Sharpe, 56, is facing a $50million rape lawsuit from an ex-girlfriend he first met when she was only 19, while another woman has told the DailyMail.com about separate allegations of sexual assault. He has vehemently denied both allegations.
On Thursday, four days after the lawsuit was filed by his ex-girlfriend in Nevada, the former tight end announced that he would be stepping back from his ESPN duties as a regular panelist on ‘First Take.’
Now, Smith, who co-hosts the ESPN program and is believed to have played a major part in enlisting Sharpe to the network, has broken out the ‘inescapable’ decision.
‘When the news came down that he and ESPN mutually agreed there was a need for him to come off the airwaves of ESPN, it was a blow to the show,’ Smith began on his self-eponymous YouTube show Friday. ‘It was a blow to me personally because I’m going to miss him. But it was not a surprise.’
Smith, who appeared to subtly distance himself from the situation earlier in the week, revealed that he shared an ’emphatic’ phone call with the former tight end in the aftermath of the shocking allegations surfacing.
Shannon Sharpe is facing allegations of rape from an ex-girlfriend, which he has denied
Stephen A. Smith has admitted that his friend Sharpe’s leave from ESPN was inevitable
‘What I can speak about is the fact that this three-time Super Bowl winner emphatically stated to me on the phone how innocent he is of these allegations that have been levied against him, insisting repeatedly that anything you read or see was fully and totally consensual,’ the sports media personality explained.
However, Smith did claim that, without speaking on Sharpe’s innocence or guilt, the NFL legend’s legal team forced the hand of ESPN and its parent company, the Walt Disney Company.
He surprisingly appeared to criticize the handling of the case, seemingly suggesting that the text message evidence between Sharpe and his accuser was made public too soon.
‘In the same breath, what is inescapable is that, without us knowing all the merits, he was working with Disney,’ Smith continued. ‘I know this place. I know the worldwide leader that is ESPN – that is under the umbrella of Disney. It was not difficult for me to figure out what was transpiring on this matter.
‘Disney and ESPN have a “wait and see” attitude when it comes to whatever evidence they may learn about this entire situation involving Shannon Sharpe from a legal and civil perspective.
‘What they didn’t need – as it pertains to those two things – was any definitive evidence at this particular moment in time about all of those things when Shannon Sharpe’s lawyer put all that stuff out there. It was uncomfortable to listen to and it was not something that Walt Disney wants associated with its brand.
‘So, to have him on the airwaves, while all of that stuff was put out there, was not something Disney was going to take. That is what I mean when I say I’m not surprised.’
Despite Sharpe’s absence, Smith insisted that he would always have love for him, adding: ‘I sincerely hope that all of this goes away and we find that it’s a bunch of falsehoods to these allegations, and he’s able to come back in this industry.’
Shannon Sharpe and Big Boi attend ESPN First Take at Clark Atlanta University on November 8
Stephen A. Smith appeared to subtly distance himself from Sharpe’s case earlier this week
Sharpe says that he will use his time away to dealing with ‘false and disruptive allegations’
Smith also went on to explain that he has his own ‘guardrails’ in place to protect himself and his career from scandal but did not specify what they were.
After his split from Fox Sports and ‘Undisputed’, Sharpe joined ESPN’s ‘First Take’ as a recurring panelist in September 2023.
However, his future on the network was cast into doubt earlier this week after his 20-something ex-girlfriend filed the rape lawsuit against him in Nevada on Sunday.
Sharpe announced earlier on Thursday that he would be stepping aside from his ESPN duties, even while continuing to deny the allegations of rape and abuse.
Sharpe said: ‘My statement is found here and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100% consensual.
‘At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties.
‘I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.
‘I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, fans, friends and colleagues.’
Sharpe co-hosted ‘Undisputed’ on FS1 with Skip Bayless (left) from 2016 to 2023
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The accuser, who is listed as Jane Doe in her suit, claims she was abused by Sharpe over the course of their near one-year relationship, which began when she was 20 and he was 53 back in 2023.
The first alleged rape is said to have taken place in October of last year, with the lawsuit claiming he forced himself on her as she ‘was crying and sobbing.’ Sharpe is accused of raping her again in January after arriving at her home with promises of Christmas and birthday gifts.
Since news of the lawsuit first broke on Monday, both the Super Bowl winner and the accuser’s respective attorneys have brought shocking new evidence to light over the past 48 hours, including a text which shows her telling him ‘no means no’ after an alleged rape in January.
Audio footage provided to DailyMail.com Tuesday also captures him threatening to choke the woman who is now suing him, which his lawyer has claimed was ‘in the heat of the moment’ while insisting the violent threat was ‘not intended.’
Until Thursday, it had been business as usual for Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl winner, who has remained defiant in the face of the accusations that could ruin his career.
He continued with his First Take appearances, with Wednesday and Thursday’s absences part of his regular schedule, the organization said.
On Thursday night, Sharpe was at the NFL Draft in Green Bay, interviewing legend and new draftees for his ‘NightCap’ podcast.