Longtime sports analyst Skip Bayless has been in the business for nearly 50 years. Two months removed from leaving FS1, Bayless is now speaking out on how the pubic breakup with former debate partner Shannon Sharpe soured him on continuing the show after one year apart.
The 72-year-old, who’s now in search of a new partner to kick off his new YouTube debate show, recently spoke with The Washington Post on what’s next for him.
In his comments Bayless oddly makes it sound like he didn’t have anything to do with Sharpe’s departure in June 2023.
Skip Bayless Says He Didn’t Push Shannon Sharpe Out Of FS1 Show
While he may not have been the only, his actions definitely played a role in the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s decision, or demise, as Bayless put in his interview with the newspaper’s Ben Strauss. His version of what happened pales in stark comparison to Sharpe’s, and that’s where the disconnect lies.
Bayless Seemingly Throws Rock And Hides Hand
During the interview Bayless told the aforementioned Strauss that his love and zest for the show was gone because he didn’t have Sharpe anymore.
“My heart was no longer in it because I didn’t want Sharpe to leave, and I fought for him to stay,” Bayless said. “It was a shock they pushed Shannon out.”
To hear Bayless say this over a year later is simply weird timing, considering Sharpe is doing great as a member of ESPN’s “First Take” with Bayless’ former debate partner Stephen A. Smith. In fact, he’s done so well that during the summer the network signed him to a multi-year extension. This while Bayless was either ousted or asked to leave “Undisputed” in August following a failed attempt to rekindle the show he and Sharpe created over seven years together.
Sharpe Says Respect Became Tainted
Things began to sour in the partnership during a heated debate in 2022, in which seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady was the topic. It was here that Bayless took his most disrespectful jab at Sharpe claiming Brady was a better football player than him. To which Sharpe quickly said you act as if I was a scrub, I have a bust in Canton,
Things became even more testy in wake of the Damar Hamlin near-fatal on-field collapse in which Bayless was accused of being more focused on how the important late-season game would be played than the health and well-being of Hamlin. Sharpe decided not to show up to work the next day following Bayless’ tweet during the game — “No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how? This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.” — but confronted him upon return, which led to a heated debate on air.
Related: Death Of A Dynasty? Shannon Sharpe Returns And Confronts Skip Bayless Over Damar Hamlin Tweet
In the year that they’ve now been apart Sharpe has continuously stated that respect or the lack thereof played a huge role in his departure. Sharpe has also put the onus on management for not intervening more and getting things back on track. They instead let it fester and rot.
Skip Bayless Doesn’t Agree With Shannon Sharpe’s Sentiments
Time and time again Bayless has offered a rebuttal to Sharpe’s comments, saying this about the breakup:
“It dumbfounds me that he said I lost respect for him. I only gained respect for Shannon Sharpe day after day after day that he could hang on this show.”
While that sounds good and may have been the case early on during their run, it definitely changed when Sharpe became the more respected and much more noticeable face on the show. That didn’t sit well with , whom the show was created for in 2016.
So if Sharpe meant so much to him, maybe Bayless should’ve treated him better.
