As
Around the Horn prepares to exit ESPN’s airwaves, the network still doesn’t have a full-time replacement for its 5 p.m. ET timeslot. And Shannon Sharpe might be one of the biggest reasons why.
In
a column for The Athletic, Andrew Marchand gave his take on the end of
Around the Horn following the show’s 23-year run. And in doing so, the sports media insider revealed that the network had previously weighed filling the void of the daily debate show with Shannon Sharpe as a part of a “Stephen A. Smith project,” before Smith
signed his new $100 million contract with the Worldwide Leader.
It’s unclear whether Smith would have also starred on the 5 p.m. ET show or if it would have been an extension of the
First Take universe starring Sharpe. Either way, the idea of ESPN airing a show starring the Hall of Fame tight end appears to effectively be dead, and perhaps not only because of Smith’s new deal.
As has been well documented, Sharpe
took a hiatus from his ESPN duties last month after being named as the defendant in a lawsuit accusing him of assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery. While the 56-year-old initially co-hosted two episodes of
First Take after news of the lawsuit was first made public, he announced his hiatus after his accuser
released audio recordings that depicted him as threatening her, while his lawyer revealed he had previously
offered a settlement of at least $10 million, which he stressed wasn’t an admission of guilt.
In the statement announcing his hiatus, Sharpe said that he planned to return to ESPN’s airwaves in time for the start of football. But while it remains to be seen how his legal situation plays out, his future at the network appears to be tenuous at best.
As for how the network will ultimately replace
ATH on a full-time basis, Marchand agrees that
an expanded Pardon the Interruption isn’t likely, while a Peter Schrager project — which has also been rumored for the 2 p.m. ET timeslot — is a potentially viable option. At this point, however, it seems certain that Sharpe isn’t a realistic replacement, which just goes to show how quickly his star at the Worldwide Leader has understandably fallen in the last month.
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