06 June 2023 , 17:44
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Fox Sports 1 looks set to replace Shannon Sharpe with LeSean McCoy after the former "Undisputed" host accepted a buyout to leave the company.
NFL Hall of Fame tight end Sharpe agreed with the network on a contract buyout, ending a seven-year stint for the morning debate show across the desk of Skip Bayless. After public terms of friction between the co-hosts and a controversial tweet by Bayless regarding Demar Hamlin, Sharpe voiced his frustrations, ultimately leading to the end of their TV journey.
Sharpe's podcast "Club Shay Shay" is also set to cease operations as part of the buyout agreement. The Fox Sports original podcast was listed as one of Spotify's best sports podcasts of the year., quickly becoming the first Fox Sports podcast to reach over 100K subscribers.
Front Office Sports has reported that ex-NFL running back and current "Speak" co-host LeSean McCoy could become Sharpe's successor. McCoy is expected to audition for the open role alongside Bayless. However, the audition process will only happen once Sharpe's Fox Sports buyout is completed.
McCoy currently staffs a co-host position on "Speak" with Emmanuel Acho and Joy Taylor, who also remain candidates for the empty chair across the heated debate table from Bayless. Nick Wright, who joined Fox Sports in 2016, is also said to be a candidate for the role.
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However, the former all-pro running back is still in the beginning stages of his TV career. After a 12-year NFL career across four different teams, McCoy just joined FS1, in September 2022, with only nine months of screen time professionally across Fox Sports programming.
"Speak" co-host LeSean McCoy emerges as frontrunner for Shannon Sharpe's replacement.Sources further indicated that Bayless with have the final say on who replaces Sharpe as his new co-host. After several years with ESPN, the 71-year-old television personality joined FOX Sports in September 2016. He previously hosted "First Take" on ESPN2 across the desk from Stephen A. Smith, who carried the show to heights with co-host Molly Qerim: and a rotating panel of guest analysts, including ex-NBA players Kendrick Perkins, JJ Redick, and Jalen Rose.
It's said the likely candidate will continue the trend of placing a person of colour across the desk from Balyess, making sure that show continues to do well as a popular program in the African-American community. The "Undisputed" program heavily focuses on the top stories surrounding the NFL, professional basketball, and college sports-- all areas of expertise for McCoy.
While FS1 continues its search to replace Sharpe, the polished NFL veteran has dropped hints to show that his time on TV isn't over.
"Stay tuned for the seeds I'm planting," wrote Sharpe on Twitter.