Since Shannon Sharpe has temporarily left ESPN amid sexual assault allegations, the network has officially made one statement. They agreed with his decision to step away from his weekly four hours, as this legal battle between Sharpe and his alleged accuser has now boiled over into the media.
Whether it intended to or not, the Worldwide Leader’s fronting presence on Sharpe has been through Stephen A. Smith. He’s been their de facto spokesperson, taking to his personal podcast at his personal media company to offer his thoughts on the lawsuit and Sharpe’s response to it.
It was even through Smith that ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro’s unofficial stance was relayed. That’s why Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder asked the question: Who’s actually in charge in Bristol?
Whether you love the oversaturation of Smith or not, he’s told us time and time again that nothing is off-limits on The Stephen A. Smith Show. Nothing.
His day job, which is not being the President of the United States — at least not yet — doesn’t prevent him from talking about allegations facing his colleagues. And he did so again on Friday, offering his thoughts on Sharpe taking a temporary leave of absence from ESPN, but not his Shay Shay Media empire.
“It’s been a difficult week from a sports media perspective, certainly as it pertains to First Take,” Smith began. “Shannon Sharpe became a friend. When I recruited him to come aboard ESPN’s First Take, he came on board, and he did a sensational job. No matter the amount of success that we enjoyed for the 12 years prior to his arrival, he helped take it to another level last year. And we were doing our thing this year, as well. And so when the news came down that he and ESPN had mutually agreed that he would need to come off the airwaves at ESPN, it was a blow. It was a blow to the show. It was a blow to me, personally, because I’m gonna miss him. But it was not a surprise.
“When I was on the air just a few days ago, a lot of people were looking for me to say something. I’m not going to go there. I’m not going to speak to one’s innocence or one’s guilt about something I have absolutely, positively, no knowledge of whatsoever. Do I believe that Shannon Sharpe is guilty of what he’s been accused of? Absolutely not. That is my personal opinion. The brother that I’ve come to know, I don’t believe would assault or rape anybody. And I’m going to state that emphatically. But just as emphatically, I’m going to remind everybody that it is my opinion because of what I feel about him. Not in any way implying that I know a damn thing beyond that, because I don’t know.”
Smith used the opportunity to say that he’s seen the text messages released by Sharpe’s representation to take a pointed shot at his ESPN colleague’s lawyer. He said he doesn’t think Sharpe’s lawyer has been “impressive in this at all.”
“Because some of the information led out to the public, I have no idea why a lawyer would advise such a thing, but that’s a different subject for another day,” Smith said.
And that’s where Smith really gave away how ESPN views the situation.
“What I can speak about is the fact is that the fact that this three-time Super Bowl champion and this Hall of Famer, who emphatically stated to me over the phone how innocent he is of these allegations that have been levied against him,” Smith continues. “Insisting repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly, that anything you read, anything you see, anything you hear, was totally and fully consensual. In the same breath, what’s inescapable is that without us knowing all the merits, he was working with Disney, where I’ve worked since 2003, excluding my departure from 2009-2011, when I was gone for those two years. Outside of that, I’ve been at Disney since October of 2003.
“I know the Worldwide Leader that is ESPN, who’s under the umbrella of Disney. And it wasn’t difficult for me to figure out what was transpiring. As I sit here before you today, discussing this matter, ESPN and Disney have a wait-and-see attitude when it comes to whatever evidence they may learn about this entire situation involving Shannon Sharpe from a legal and a civil perspective. What they didn’t need as it pertains to those two things I just mentioned, they didn’t need any definitive evidence at this particular time about all of that stuff, once all the things Shannon Sharpe’s lawyer put out there.
“It was uncomfortable to listen to. And it was not something that Walt Disney wants associated with its brand. So, to have him on the airwaves while all that stuff was put out there was not something that Disney was going to take. That is what I mean when I say: I’m not surprised.”
Smith continued by saying he wasn’t going to kick Sharpe while he was down, adding that he sincerely hopes all of this goes away, that these allegations are false, and that Sharpe can return to the industry and continue his “phenomenal” work in the sports media industry.
Of course, all of that hinges on a resolution that allows Sharpe — and ESPN — to move forward.
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