SHANNON SHARPE TEARFULLY SAYS GOODBYE TO ‘UNDISPUTED’ AND THANKS SKIP BAYLESS: ‘I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING I HAD’

Shannon Sharpe’s run on Fox Sports’ Skip and Shannon: Undisputed is officially over. At the end of the June 13 show, Sharpe thanked all of the team members for FS1 and tearfully spoke highly of his time with Skip Bayless.

“Skip Bayless. You fought for me, brother. I’m here because of you. You’ve allowed me to share the stage with you. You’ve 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 forever indebted to you. I’ll never forget what you did for me. You’ve helped me grow more than you’ll ever know. One more thing before you go, Skip. One more thing. All I ask, is when you lay your head of that pillow at night, know I gave you everything I had. I gave you everything I had.”

In the wake of the departure of Shannon Sharpe from the popular FS1 talk show Undisputed, sports enthusiasts are eagerly speculating about who will step into the esteemed analyst’s shoes.

Fueling the rumors and intensifying the anticipation, Bovada, a renowned online sportsbook, has recently unveiled its live betting odds on who might join forces with the outspoken host, Skip Bayless, on the highly acclaimed show. Leading the way for Sharpe’s replacement is Sean Salisbury at +130, followed by Kendrick Perkins at +600.

The full run of odds is available below.

Sean Salisbury +130
Kendrick Perkins +600
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo +700
Nick Wright +700
Scottie Pippen +800
Chad Johnson +900
Brian Dawkins +900
Ray Lewis +900
Marcellus Wiley +900
Tom Brady +1500

Sharpe was long believed to work his way out of FS1, especially after he and Bayless clashed on air over Damar Hamlin’s injury.

Following a controversial tweet from Bayless about Hamlin’s injury, Sharpe did not show up to Undisputed. A day after his absence, Shannon Sharpe returned to the Undisputed desk, and the fireworks immediately went off between him and Bayless.

In a monologue, Sharpe explained his absence and stated he didn’t agree with Skip’s tweet. “Skip tweeted something and although I disagree with the tweet, and hopefully, Skip will take it down…”

Skip would interject and state, “Time out — I’m not going to take it down because I stand by what I tweeted.”

The two would go back and forth briefly before Shannon deflected to the show’s moderator to continue forward with the show.

You can see the moment below.

Fireworks to start Undisputed over Skip's tweet pic.twitter.com/CnMBvgUPP3

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 4, 2023

Shannon skipped the Tuesday broadcast, according to TMZ, because he was “upset” with Skip Bayless’s offensive Damar Hamlin tweet, in which he questioned why the NFL would postpone a crucial game so late in the season. The outlet added that the network is uncertain as to whether Sharpe will report for duty on Wednesday.

In the episode that aired the following Tuesday, Bayless took the opportunity to retract his remarks and explain his intentions.

The Post also notes Sharpe’s relationship with LeBron James, who Bayless relentlessly goes after, contributed to the departure.