Shannon Sharpe’s partnership with Skip Bayless on FS1’s Undisputed provided countless legendary moments, memes, and water cooler conversations. But alas, that era has come to an end.
FS1 announced this week that Sharpe’s time on the show will be coming to an end soon, following the two sides’ agreement on a buyout. Many have speculated that the crux of the fracture between Sharpe and Bayless happened during the last NFL season.
Bayless’ tweet questioning the NFL’s decision to suspend a game between the Bengals and Bills after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during Week 17 has been deemed crude and insensitive by many, including Sharpe. So much so that Sharpe didn’t report to work the next day.
On Twitter, Bayless appeared to show no compassion following Hamlin’s shocking health scare.
“No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game — but how? This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant,” the former ESPN commentator tweeted.
When he returned the following day, the Denver Broncos alum confronted Bayless about his insensitive tweet.
“There’s been a lot of speculation to why I wasn’t on air yesterday… Skip tweeted something, and although I disagree with the tweet, and hopefully Skip would take it down,” Sharpe said, before Bayless interjected, “Timeout, I’m not gonna take it down, because I stand by what I tweeted.”
Frustrated by his co-host’s comment, Sharpe responded, “I can’t even get through a monologue without you interrupting.”
Their on-air time since has been peppered with uncomfortable back-and-forths between both parties.
The cause of the former athlete’s sudden buyout remains murky. A few sources claimed that there was a power struggle between Sharpe and Bayless on the show, although one insider told the Post that the NFL icon never wanted to outshine the sports commentator. He wanted to be an “equal with Bayless in the program’s topic selection.”
So the big question now is… who will replace Shannon Sharpe moving forward?
When it comes to unknown outcomes involving sports – or sports talking heads – rest assured that sportsbooks all over will have their own predictions.
Bovada, one popular online sportsbook, has just updated its predictions. The lower the number, the higher probability Bovada is placing on that host to take over for Sharpe. The higher the number, the lower the probability… again, according to Bovada.
Keep scrolling to see who you may want to place your money on!
Shannon Sharpe Replacement Betting Odds: Who Will Co-Host ‘Undisputed’ With Skip Bayless Next? was originally published on wzakcleveland.com
1. Sean Salisbury +130
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The former NFL QB now hosts a radio show in Houston, Texas.
2. Kendrick Perkins +600
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The former NBA player is now an analyst with ESPN.
3. Nick Wright +700
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The sports broadcaster currently on FS1’s ‘First Things First’.
4. Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo +700
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The legendary Mad Dog is a sports broadcast legend in New York and also features on ESPN’s ‘First Take’.
5. Scottie Pippen +800
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The 6-time NBA champion would certainly be an interesting fit.
6. Chad Johnson +900
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The former All-Pro wide receiver would clearly have the energy to match Skip on a daily basis.
7. Ray Lewis +900
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Nope. I’m not making any jokes with this one.
8. Brian Dawkins +900
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Dawkins’s post-NFL career has seen him as both a well-respected philanthropist and sports broadcaster.
9. Marcellus Wiley +900
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The former NFL defensive end has carved himself a nice slice of a sports broadcasting career.
10. Tom Brady +1500
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The longest draw on the board is legendary NFL QB Tom Brady. Want my opinion? Save your money folks.
