Good news for Shannon Sharpe … the viral video of his Wednesday afternoon fun will not affect his job – because TMZ Sports has learned that ESPN will not punish its star for his accidental sex stream.
A source at the network told us that Sharpe’s absence from “First Take” on Thursday had nothing to do with what happened on his Instagram about 24 hours ago – because Thursday and Friday are usually his days off.
According to the source, Sharpe is expected back on Monday – and faces no punishment.
Sharpe, who has been with ESPN since 2023, recently signed a contract extension to stay with the broadcaster – and had already agreed in June to continue to Stephen A. Smith on “First Take” in the foreseeable future.
As for Sharpe’s stance on the whole X-rated scene… his Instagram account initially claimed he had been hacked – although he admitted on his show “Nightcap” on Wednesday night that it was, in fact, him.
Nightcap
He attributed the whole problem to his lack of technical expertise and said it was “embarrassing”.
He added that he was “disappointed” in himself because of the consequences that had affected those around him – although he was at least able to share a few laughs with his co-host at the end. Chad Johnson.
