American football tight end Shannon Sharpe has become the talk of the town after his Instagram Live went viral on September 11, 2024. The stream had bizarre background noises, which allegedly made fans believe that he was engaged in a sexual act. Although the video didn’t show anyone on screen, Sharpe confirmed he was involved in the act.
On September 12, 2024, an X account named NBACentel released a post stating that ESPN had fired Shannon Sharpe. It is worth noting that the concerned X handle is a parody account, not an official one. The post read:
“BREAKING: ESPN has fired Shannon Sharpe, per @ESPNNBA”
The post has gone viral with 3.9 million views at the time of writing. What’s even more surprising is that this situation has led internet users to believe that the football tight end has actually been dismissed.
Nevertheless, the post is a satire as none of the mainstream media houses have reported on the claim so far. Importantly, the ESPN account tagged in the tweet has not posted anything to confirm the same. The comments under the post make the claim more convincing, which can be potentially misleading as there is no official statement to confirm the news. One X user wrote:
“Life is so delicate, one small mistake and you are out in the cold world.”
Another person wrote:
“damn. it definitely looked unintentional, sad to hear this.”
Shannon Sharpe said he felt embarrassed after the incident
On September 12, 2024, Shannon Sharpe addressed the Instagram mishap on his podcast Nightcap, which he co-hosts with Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson. He expressed feeling deeply embarrassed by the accidental leak, a statement that contradicted his earlier claim that his Instagram had been hacked.
Shannon Sharpe explained that he had tossed his phone onto the bed, unaware that he was live-streaming on Instagram at the time. It wasn’t until a member of his marketing team informed him about the situation that he realized what had happened. Viewers reportedly could hear the explicit sounds, although the video has been taken down.
“A lot of people count on Shannon to be professional at all times and I always try to be professional at all times. Even when I am behind closed doors, I still try to remain professional although I am in the privacy of my own home and I am very disappointed in myself,” Shannon Sharpe said.
However, he clarified that he was not disappointed about the act because millions of people of consenting age engage in the activity. He further elaborated that, for someone who is highly private, having such a deeply personal and intimate detail like an audio clip exposed to the world can be incredibly distressing.
Shannon Sharpe clarified that his phone wasn’t hacked and it wasn't a prank. He acknowledged that the incident was simply him being a healthy, active adult, addressing those who doubted him.
After the incident, Shannon reached out to his kids and sister to clarify the situation, as he mentioned that it was not staged. He also revealed that he had never been on an Instagram Live and was not aware of how it worked.
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