STEPHEN A. Smith has revealed what happened during his alleged confrontation with former ESPN star Shannon Sharpe at an event.
The fiery First Take star and Sharpe had their first public meeting since the Pro Football Hall of Famer was axed from ESPN after a legal dispute.
NFL icon Shannon Sharpe was a star on First Take before being dumped by the network following a legal controversy[/caption]
Last weekend, Smith and Sharpe were spotted in Las Vegas at the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford fight.
Sharpe’s podcast partner and NFL icon Chad Johnson captured the conversation between the pair.
A social media video showed the former First Take colleagues talking together for a few moments.
But it seemed that Smith took issue with Sharpe, as Johnson’s caption for the video was simply a praying hands emoji.
Stephen A. broke his silence about the situation on his YouTube podcast earlier this week and said that the interaction was friendly banter.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Shannon Sharpe was getting on me because I promised him I would have a six pack by now and I don’t,” Smith said.
“And he knew I was eating Crunch Berries and Honeycombs.
“That’s what happened, ladies and gentlemen.
“That’s what happened.”
The playful row comes after Sharpe was taken off First Take following his legal issues.
Smith then sent a message to those who claimed the video showed a confrontation.
“These people, I mean, I’m just waiting. What’s next? You understand? If I drink some tea and I belch that’s going to be back page news too, the man was getting on me for eating Crunch Berries. But nobody said, ‘he was confronted, he was confronted.’ I’m just saying all this to say I’m lied on a lot,” the 57-year-old said.
Stephen A.’s message could’ve been aimed at the replies of Johnson’s video and former ESPN star Marcellus Wiley, who broke down the clip and body language between the two on his YouTube page.
Wiley claimed to have seen more than breakfast cereal in the conversation.
Nonetheless, it’s been a tricky week for Smith.
On Tuesday, he had to deliver a monologue following veteran Molly Qerim’s sudden departure from ESPN.
Stephen A. was forced to fill in as the host for First Take throughout the week.
ESPN will reportedly hold a month-plus tryout for a new host of the debate program.
Courtney Cronin, Shae Peppler Cornette, and Christine Williamson are among the network’s likely candidates for the role.
