NFL legend clashes with fellow pundit over Damar Hamlin tweet in heated argument

04 January 2023 , 16:55

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Shannon Sharpe was visibly furious with Skip Bayless

NFL legend Shannon Sharpe returned to Fox Sports show 'Undisputed' on Wednesday after skipping Tuesday's show in response to a tweet from his co-host Skip Bayless, with the two engaging in a heated argument. Sharpe didn't hide his frustrations on returning, and called on Bayless to delete his controversial tweet.

Bayless caused controversy on Monday night when he sent out a tweet while Buffalo Bills star Damar Hamlin was being treated by ambulance crews during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals having suffered a cardiac arrest. Bayless asked in his tweet how the NFL could be thinking of postponing the game due to the schedule issues that would arise.

Fans and players alike called him out for being insensitive, and while Bayless later clarified, the damage was already done. Sharpe called out the tweet upon his return to Undisputed on Wednesday, only for Bayless to hit back as tempers flared.

Sharpe explained: "There's been a lot of speculation as to why I wasn't on air yesterday, and I won't get into speculation, but I will say that watching that game on Monday night, what happened to Damar Hamlin struck me a little different."

He continued: "Injuries happen, I've seen guys suffer ACLs, achilles tears, but I've never seen someone be revived and fight for their life on the field, so it struck me a little differently because I remember seeing my brother being paralysed on the field, temporarily, and he was able to regain focus.

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"Skip tweeted something and although I disagree with the tweet and hopefully he'll take it down, I didn't..." At that point, Bayless interrupted by saying: "Time out. I'm not going to take it down. I stand by what I tweeted."

Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe got into a heated argument over a tweet

Sharpe was visibly furious at this point, responding: "I can't even get through a monologue without you interrupting me. You could have came back [after]. I was just going to say I didn't want yesterday to get into a situation where Damar Hamlin was the issue. We should have been talking about him and not the tweet. But you can't even let me get through the opening monologue without you interrupting me."

Bayless retorted: "I was under the impression you weren't going to bring this up, because nobody here had a problem with that tweet," before Sharpe alleged numerous bosses at Fox Sports took issue with the tweet and asked him to clarify on Tuesday's show.

Hamlin remains in intensive care at the University of Cincinnati Hospital. His marketing representative and family friend Jordan Rooney told the NFL Network on Wednesday that things were "moving in a moving in a positive direction."

Daniel Blackham