Shannon Sharpe has already made a public apology for the major role he played in the brouhaha that transpired during Friday's matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies. This has led to the issue somewhat dying a natural death as all parties involved seemed to have moved on from the debacle. For his part, however, Charles Barkley has decided to drop some sage advice with regard to the untoward incident.

Speaking recently on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Barkley shared his take on the heated altercation that all started when Sharpe got a bit too overenthusiastic with his exchange of words with Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks. Sir Charles did not point any fingers, but it is clear that he believes Shannon was in the wrong here:

“Reporters can never get into it with players,” Barkley said. “That's my rule of thumb because we get paid to talk about these guys. And if you hate guys or don't get along with guys, you're gonna be somewhat biased, believe it or not. You know, television's a very powerful vehicle. You gotta be really careful because people believe everything we say, unfortunately. So, I'm not saying anybody was right or wrong, but I'm saying, as a guy who's on television, I can never get into it with the players. That's just my rule of thumb.”

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Charley Barkley with a text bubble reading "You can't kick a man's a** in front of his wife and parents" next to Sami Zayn and Chad Gable with the RAW logo as the background.

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Brian Buyawe ·

Charles Barkley is many things, but what he is not is a fool — especially when it comes to his profession as a broadcaster. Regardless of all the things he says and does on air, Barkley still sees to it that he exudes a certain level of professionalism in his craft. A clear testament to this fact is the way he responded to this situation with Shannon Sharpe.

Barkley understands the power he has as a renowned reporter as well as the expansive reach of his platform. With it comes a certain responsibility and an unwritten rule book that he must adhere to, no matter what. He did not say it directly, but it is clear that Sir Charles believes that Shannon Sharpe crossed a line. It's hard to argue with his statement here. In fact, even Mr. Sharpe himself would agree.