Mark Schlereth played for the Denver Broncos in the final six years of his career in the NFL and was able to capture two Super Bowl championships during his time with the team. Schlereth took the time on Thursday’s edition of Schlereth and Evans to explain what he knew about “Club Shay Shay” when he was playing, telling Adam Schefter some of the stories of the infamous club, which started as a gathering of Broncos players and personnel who would play cards with tight end Shannon Sharpe.
Since retiring from the NFL, Sharpe has used the pseudonym to create a business venture, Shay Shay Media, which recently paired with The Volume to present his hit podcast Club Shay Shay and produce other content for the medium.
While he was in the team hotel one night and trying to get some sleep, Schlereth remembers being situated next door to Sharpe’s room. He had trouble obtaining respite throughout the night because the card game was going on until 2 in the morning, prompting Schlereth to request to the team’s operations executive to never put him next to Sharpe again.
“Separate floor; one side of the hall, he’s on the complete other side, but never right next door,” Sharpe said. “He is too loud, [and] that is what I [knew] ‘Club Shay Shay to be.’”
Adam Schefter, who serves as a senior NFL insider for ESPN, previously covered the Broncos for several years with The Denver Post and traveled with the team. Appearing for a segment on the Schlereth & Evans show, co-host Mike Evans asked him whether or not he had participated in events at Club Shay Shay while he was a reporter.
“Not only did I not hang out at Club Shay Shay – much like Stink, I was never invited to Club Shay Shay, nor did I even know about Club Shay Shay until this week,” Schefter revealed. “[I] didn’t know about it until this week – [I had] heard about it [and] saw it.”
After learning of the entire ordeal, he said he looks back on those days and wishes he had been more perceptive to what was happening because of the unique nature of the arrangement.
“I was actually disappointed because I don’t like that things are going on that I didn’t know about,” Schefter said. “I would have done a story about Club Shay Shay back in the day, and I had no knowledge of Club Shay Shay. There you go – I was the negligent, ignorant reporter.”
“Sounds like your next book, Adam,” replied Evans.
Schlereth joked the title would be Club Shay Shay: Why I Wasn’t Invited, leading Schefter to joke that it would epitomize his time working as a reporter and NFL insider.
“That was very good, Stink,” Schefter said. “Story of my life right there.”
