“Left for Dead”: Weeks after NFL Hall of Famer Lost His Job, Stephen A Drops Massive Bomb on ESPN’s Newest Recruit Getting Forced against His Wishes

ESPN’s hit show, First Take, is reaching new milestones in terms of viewer ratings. The popular show saw a surge in ratings since a new member joined the hot seat alongside Stephen A. Smith. While there was no clarity as to why the Hall of Famer had left his previous show to join First Take, Stephen A. Smith just dropped a truth bomb. He sheds light on the actual reason for the NFL Legend’s departure.

Ever since Shannon Sharpe made his First Take debut, the ratings of the show have been soaring. The show averaged 754,000 viewers in its first two days, a 30% increase from the previous year. Its content on ESPN’s YouTube account garnered a staggering 6.8 million views in just two days. On the other hand, Undisputed, Sharpe’s previous stint, garnered just 131,000 viewers on day one of the new panel compared to First Take‘s 448,000 viewers on the first day.

Did Shannon Sharpe leave Undisputed at will, or was he forced out?

Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless co-hosted FS1’s Undisputed since the program first aired in 2016. However, the 55-year-old left after buying out his contract with Fox Sports two months ago. During a recent appearance on The Joe Budden Podcast, Stephen A. Smith shed light on Sharpe’s sudden exit from Undisputed. When Joe Budden asked Smith if he cared that Sharpe was going after his co-host so soon by partnering up with a rival show, he said, “I didn’t look at it that way”.

He added, “I would’ve looked at it that way if Shannon left on his own. I’m telling you he didn’t. I’m telling you he was pushed out. He didn’t wanna leave, he was notified that ‘Your service will no longer be needed”

Stephen A. Smith reveals the real reason behind recruiting Shannon Sharpe

SAS then revealed the real reason behind why he chose the football tight end as his new co-host. He said, “It wasn’t just that I know the brother is talented. It wasn’t that I knew he was a 3 time Super Bowl Champion and an NFL Hall of Famer. It wasn’t just that I knew he had been doing television for the last 6 years, I saw me from the standpoint of how I was let go in 2009 and left for dead.” He recalled how when he was let go there was no one to help him, but now that he has the power to save someone, he is going to extend his support.

Back in 2009, Smith was fired from ESPN after they couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract. He recalled that back then he had no one to rely on. Just a year prior, he had been informed that he could no longer write a column at the Philadelphia Inquirer, but could stay as a reporter.

Eventually, things worked out for him and he went on to reach unprecedented levels of success with his show First Take. Although he is notorious for his unrelenting remarks, this incident gave us a glimpse of his more vulnerable side.

Watch this story: “I Know What Shannon Was Going Through”: Stephen A. Smith Vilifies Skip Bayless & $13,920,000,000 Co, Takes Pride on Being Sharpe’s Lifeline