Reggie Bush throws shade at FS1 as Shannon Sharpe signs multi-year deal with ESPN - "Fox fumbled the football"
Shannon Sharpe has secured his future with ESPN, and his fellow football legend thinks it could not have felt more cathartic.
On Tuesday, the Disney-owned sports network announced it had extended the Hall of Fame tight end for multiple years, further solidifying himself as Stephen A. Smith's potential successor on First Take. Head of event and studio David Roberts said:
“Shannon Sharpe has been an incredible addition to the First Take team, enhancing the show’s dynamic with his engaging presence and insightful commentary. Shannon’s chemistry with Stephen A. Smith has elevated our debates and been another key reason First Take is the premier destination for morning sports discussion.”
College great Reggie Bush was among those who reacted, also directing some harsh words against Fox Sports, which had both of them under its employ until 2023:
Shannon Sharpe discusses how ESPN extension happened
When Sharpe first joined ESPN in 2023, he was initially, surprisingly enough, on a limited contract that restricted his role on First Take. However, he came to like it, as it meant he would not have to give up his self-produced podcasts Club Shay Shay and Nightcap—the latter with former Cincinnati Bengals wideout Chad Johnson. In an in-depth interview with GQ, he said:
"After you get fired several times, you start thinking, “How can I create something where I don’t get fired?” Well, create something that you own. They can’t fire you from something that you own."
"That’s the main reason I went out and tried to create my own platform: I got tired of, “Well, we want to go in a different direction. We want to do something different. OK, well, I don’t want to do anything different—I want to do this right now."
Disney CEO Bob Iger sought to meet Sharpe regarding his future in January. After some early fears, he got the news that he wanted:
"I’m thinking the worst: ”Damn, I just got here.” [laughs] He said they wanted me to have a bigger role at ESPN and they wanted me for the long-term."
The next month, ESPN announced that he would remain on First Take well into the NFL offseason—a precursor to his multi-year extension.