Upon the departure of Shannon Sharpe from Undisputed after seven years on the air earlier this year, the morning debate program went on a two-month hiatus to reorganize. The program ultimately came back to the air complete with a new look, cast and theme song written and performed by Lil’ Wayne.
After months of speculation, the question of who would be joining Skip Bayless in the morning was answered, with FOX Sports revealing that on-air contributors would be rotated in depending on the topics to debate the longtime sports pundit. The program adopted a similar approach to Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim’s hit morning program, First Take, and is starting to see increased levels of viewership with aspirations to be the No. 1 program on television.
Keyshawn Johnson, Rachel Nichols, Michael Irvin, Josina Anderson and Lil’ Wayne, along with a bevy of FOX Sports 1 personalities, have appeared on the show to discuss everything from the National Basketball Association to the National Football League. One addition that surprised some people, however, was that of Richard Sherman, who verbally attacked Bayless on air during a First Take appearance in 2013.
Bayless and Sherman addressed the infamous altercation on the first episode of the show, presumably to quell any rumors about their rapport and move past the incident. At the time, First Take was trying to land an afternoon slot on ESPN and endured a probationary period, although the details of such have been conveyed differently by Bayless and Smith through their individual podcasts. One decade later, Sherman feels the duo has moved past that and is enjoying his time working with him on FOX Sports 1 on Monday through Wednesday each week.
“The preparation I’m doing for Undisputed every single day helps me for the preparation I’m doing for this Philly and Minnesota game,” Sherman said, referencing Thursday night’s prime-time game kicking off at 8:15 p.m. EST/5:15 p.m. PST. “….When we get to Thursday and we’re talking about it, it’s second-nature for me. I’m grateful for the opportunities. I’m grateful to be a part of this team – to be on Prime Video – and to be able to help assist the story of the game, as Al [Michaels] would put it.”
Sherman looks at Irvin as inspiration for how to do his job as an analyst, both on Undisputed and TNF Tonight. Irvin, who recently reached a settlement in a lawsuit with Marriott and was reinstated from his indefinite suspension by NFL Media, is known for his flamboyance and confidence displayed on the air.
“He always came with a lot of energy [and] a lot of enthusiasm,” Sherman said. “Regardless of what he’s talking about – he could be talking about paint drying, but he could talk about it in the most excitable way.”
Sherman also serves as a member of the studio team for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video and is often on site for the weekly game. This season, he is looking forward to continuing to cultivate on-air chemistry with the rest of the TNF Tonight panel, which includes former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth and Tony Gonzalez, along with host Charissa Thompson.
“Because we had Charissa and Tony, who were so experienced and so veteran and so smooth, it made the transition a lot easier,” Sherman said. “Having Whit and Fitz made the transition easier for me [as well] because you’ve got guys who are in the same situation [and] same boat as you.”
