ESPN's First Take is set to get a major HBCU link up, as Shannon Sharpe is set to join Stephen A. Smith this fall per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. According to Marchand, Sharpe will join the show on a part-time basis and appear on Mondays and Tuesdays.
However, Smith spoke about the report on his podcast “The Stephen A. Smith Show” and said that ESPN doesn't have Sharpe under contract yet.
“Here's the issue, we don't,” Stephen A. Smith said in a short clip. “Sorry, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. It's a bit premature. Shannon Sharpe has yet to sign on the dotted line to be a member of First Take. It has not happened yet. I'm still confident that it will happen.”
The rumblings of Sharpe joining First Take after his departure from Fox Sports 1's Undisputed have festered for the past few months. The three-time Super Bowl champion left the Skip Bayless-led debate show in June following the conclusion of the NBA Finals. If First Take were to bring Sharpe on board, it would signal a collaboration of two HBCU media stars.
Stephen A. Smith is an alumnus of Winston-Salem State University and an avid supporter of his alma mater and HBCUs around the nation. He played under legendary head basketball coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines and wrote for the student newspaper on campus. He was inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame in 2017.
Shannon Sharpe is an alumnus of Savannah State University where he played football in the SIAC for the Tigers. He led Savannah State to huge success, as they posted an 8-1 record in 1989 during his senior season. Sharpe is #1 in school history for achieving single-season records receiving records for yardage, touchdowns, and yards per catch. His #2 jersey was retired in 2009 and he was inducted into the SIAC Hall of Fame in 2014.
If the deal goes through, it will put two HBCU media stars together that will produce must-see TV.