If there is bad blood between Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, it was not on display Tuesday. In his final day on FS1’s Undisputed, Sharpe thanked Bayless for making him a part of the show.
“The opportunity that you gave me to become what I became, I’m forever indebted to you,” Sharpe said to his partner. “I’ll never forget what you did for me. You’ve helped me grow more than you ever know.”
Much had been made of Sharpe’s social media activity following the announcement that he had reached a deal to exit FS1. It added fuel to the rumors that the two did not get along at all following multiple arguments that happened on television.
“All I ask, when you lay your hand on that pillow at night, know I gave you everything I had,” Sharpe said to Bayless.
The lovefest was not one-sided. Skip Bayless revealed that when he first landed at FS1, he had a different show in mind. The format of Undisputed was not decided on until Sharpe came on board.
“I want to thank you for never taking a sick day,” Bayless said. “I want to thank you for preparing as hard as you could every single day, every single topic. I want to thank you for competing as hard as you competed with me, because the greatest compliment I can give you is you were a worthy adversary. I want to thank you and tell you that I love you for what you have done for for me.”
He added that he will celebrate Sharpe and their shared success on Tuesday night with their shared favorite drink – a Diet Mountain Dew.
Is that love real or just for the cameras? It doesn’t really matter. Either way, Sharpe is done with Undisputed.
There have been plenty of suggestions about where he should wind up next. So far, his only public comment has come via Twitter. On June 3, he cryptically tweeted “Stay tuned for the seeds I’m planting.”
