After seven years opposite Skip Bayless on the Undisputed desk, Shannon Sharpe is leaving Fox Sports, according to Ryan Glasspiel of the New York Post.
Sharpe will reportedly stay on through the NBA Finals but will leave the show in June after reaching a buyout with Fox Sports. Glasspiel highlights the very public friction between the two after Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game this past season and Bayless sent out an incredibly insensitive tweet that Sharpe was very upset about, leading to a blow-up on air when Bayless interrupted him as he explained why he had taken the day off following Bayless sending that tweet. Glasspiel also references Bayless’ constantly antagonizing LeBron James, who Sharpe is a massive fan of, as a potential source of further tension.
That Sharpe has apparently sought out a buyout signifies that things have become untenable between the two, as you don’t go looking to end a contract early if that’s not the case — Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast will also be leaving the network. Sharpe figures to have plenty of interest from other networks, but whether ESPN, in particular, pursues him given what is surely a high pricetag is not a guarantee given the backlash they received internally from hiring Pat McAfee (for a reported $17 million a year) in the midst of company-wide layoffs.
Wherever he ends up, Sharpe will get the chance to break out on his own without Bayless across from him, and Fox and Bayless will have to find a new sparring partner for Undisputed.