Shannon Sharpe‘s more than three million Instagram followers and the world of professional sports were shocked on Wednesday when the retired NFL star and sports media personality seemed to go live on the platform during a sexual encounter.
Immediately after it happened, the Club Shay Shay podcast host claimed in a since-deleted X post that his account had been hacked. ” … [M]y team and I are working vigorously to figure this out,” Sharpe’s post added. It’s unclear who the woman’s voice was in the feed. Sharpe’s not married.
Sharpe finally came clean
As well as Club Shay Shay, Sharpe cohosts First Take on ESPN and the Nightcap podcast with another former NFL player, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. After the live sex feed incident, Sharpe admitted in an emergency episode of the Nightcap podcast that it was him on Instagram (IG live), and his phone wasn’t hacked. Sharpe said he knew nothing about IG live and that when he tossed his phone on the bed, somehow, the feed got activated.
Sharpe said while he was not embarrassed for having sex with a consenting adult, “There are a lot of people that count on Shannon to be professional at all times, and I always try to be professional at all times, even when I’m behind closed doors … I’m disappointed in myself. I let a lot of people down,” Sharpe said.
Sharpe explained he didn’t realize what had gone wrong until someone from his marketing team called to tell him. His heart sank when he heard the news, he said, and he immediately called his agent and ESPN and told them what happened. Johnson confirmed Sharpe is technologically inept and prone to butt-dialing.
The memes went wild
The memes and social media responses to the Shannon Sharpe live sex feed made the embarrassing situation, at the very least, entertaining. The eight-time Pro-Bowler is in his mid-50s, and we all know older people famously struggle with technology, but this mishap gives that truism new meaning.
Some social media comments alleged Sharpe may have done it on purpose to deflect rumors about his sexuality. “Was this leaked intentionally to fight the rumors that Shannon Sharpe is gay? Those rumors have been around for quite some time,” controversial sports journalist Jason Whitlock said. Sharpe denied the gay rumor when he admitted the mistake.
No harm no foul, according to ESPN
After Sharpe’s mortifying IG Live mishap, he was absent from ESPN’s First Take on Thursday and Friday, leading some to think ESPN may have fired him. But according to TMZ, sources say he’ll be back on air Monday and will face no disciplinary action from the network. Thursday and Friday are Sharpe’s typical days off from the show.
About three years earlier, ESPN fired basketball analyst and retired NBA champion Paul Pierce when Pierce accidentally shared a video on social media of himself at a poker game with strippers. Pierce was also seen using alcohol and marijuana.
Published: Sep 13, 2024 05:10 pm