The news of Shannon Sharpe’s dismissal from ESPN cannot come as a shock. The Pro Football Hall of Famer did what he shouldn’t have done, and unfortunately, a mistake by Sharpe cost him his job. It happens across the country and to everyone (myself included) at some point in their life.
None of us are perfect, and neither is Shannon Sharpe. I’m not here to excuse Sharpe from any potential wrongdoing. It’s a simple fact: you can’t have a man who faced alleged sexual assault and battery charges on your television network. Sharpe even said as much when he addressed the news of his dismissal on Wednesday night, saying, “They did what they felt they needed to do.”
The easy question to ask is what’s next for Shannon Sharpe. The easy answer is nothing.
Make no mistake about it—Shannon Sharpe is a made man. He’s taken his post-NFL career and turned it into a multi-million-dollar enterprise producing content, branded gear, and even his own Cognac brand. He has enough money in the bank account through all his enterprises where the rest of his life should be well taken care of.
The issue is in how everything following the lawsuit was handled—that should be paramount.
How You React Matters Most
The fallout from the civil lawsuit filed earlier this year was filled with texts, voicemails, social media video statements, revealing details, and so much more. It didn’t paint Sharpe in the best light. He went on offense instead of staying quiet and playing defense.
Shannon’s statement started as “false and disruptive allegations.” Then, after all the evidence was out—both by him and his accuser—the ending was a settlement decision.
Even when Sharpe announced that he would be stepping away from ESPN, the network was very fast to have a response ready supporting Shannon’s decision to step away. Stepping away was the best response Sharpe made to the news of the civil lawsuit being filed; what happened after that caused his dismissal to be permanent.
It’s also pretty revealing about his character that while Sharpe stepped away from his work with ESPN, he didn’t step away from his work with Shay Shay Media. The evening following his decision to temporarily step away from ESPN, Sharpe found himself in Green Bay, WI, hosting a NightCap NFL Draft live stream in front of an audience near Lambeau Field.
So much for devoting time to family during a time of personal crisis.
Does Sharpe Have Any Options Left?
Now that Sharpe is gone from ESPN, many are wondering where he goes from here.
When it comes to returning to a role in traditional media outside of his own Shay Shay Media, there are only a few remaining options that make sense.
Some may say, why not return to where it started—FS1? The network needs programming for its weekday time slots, and Skip Bayless’ reign is over at the network. If FOX Sports was smart, a phone call would be the very least I would expect to Sharpe. Especially with the Barstool Sports partnership now in full effect, why not see if there’s a play there?
Sharpe interviewed Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy earlier this year as they both half-heartedly joked about doing business together. Why not work an agreement with FOX to bring Sharpe’s persona to the Barstool Sports programming on FS1 to draw eyeballs and spare no expense to your new content partner in Barstool Sports?
It’s a fact that Sharpe was the only draw of the FS1 morning programming over the last decade. Bayless’ Undisputed program only lasted a year after Sharpe left for ESPN.
Could FOX Sports be in play with Jimmy Johnson departing and likely Terry Bradshaw not too far from doing the same? Could you imagine an NFL on FOX pregame show with Sharpe, Strahan, Long, and Gronk? There’d be some debates that could catch the eyes of football fans around the world.
If Michael Vick can do jail time and work on the network, why not Sharpe?
While ESPN may not be in the cards, could there be a role for Sharpe on NFL Network once ESPN takes hold of the potential takeover of NFL Media? NFL GameDay Morning could use a boost of energy from Sharpe since Michael Irvin is no longer in the fold.
With Netflix beginning to dive into the podcast space, could the face of podcasts on Netflix be Shannon Sharpe? He already drives a massive audience for sports and is regularly in the top sports podcast channels via YouTube’s weekly podcast rankings. Why not bring Sharpe aboard as the flagship sports podcast and insert his persona into their NFL coverage with more games hitting the platform over the next several years?
What Is the Best Thing for Sharpe Moving Forward
While sports media continues to expand on a daily basis, there is one simple truth to determining what’s next for Shannon Sharpe. While he may be one of the most respected entrepreneurs in sports media, his recent résumé may stray networks away.
How much are networks willing to overlook his past and focus on what he brings in the future?
The answer today may be different in two days, two months, or even two years. Time heals all wounds, and oftentimes people forgive, though never forget.
The best bet for Sharpe is to stick to what he’s doing now: podcasting. He’s a dominant player in the space and likely will be signing a very high-dollar contract with a podcast company in the very near future.
This is Sharpe’s new reality. The podcasting space needs him more now than the traditional sports media space. He can still play in both, and he will gain notoriety and attention in both.
For Sharpe, the next steps more than likely will be the same steps he’s already taking—with nothing on the horizon for the foreseeable future.
That may be what’s best anyway.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
