First Take star Stephen A. Smith hasn't been shy about his role in bringing fellow HBCU alumnus Shannon Sharpe to ESPN First Take. He's often been asked about it during guest appearances on podcasts in the months since Sharpe debuted on the program in August. However, he seemingly added a new wrinkle to the story in an appearance on Cam Newton's podcast 4th & 1.

Smith has talked about Shapre's departure from FS1 before, saying he was pushed out. He specifically spoke about it in his appearance on The Joe Budden Podcast back in September.

“I didn't look at it that way. I would've looked at it that way if Shannon left of his own volition. I'm telling you he was pushed out,” Smith said in the interview.

Budden replied, “That's the first time I've ever heard that.”

Smith responded, “Well, I'm telling you. And it's fact. Now, they can deny it. He wouldn't. I can promise you that. He was pushed out. He didn't want to leave. He was notified that, ‘your services were no longer be needed.'But, then again, that's his story to tell. But, I'm telling you what I know and I'm giving you facts. And so, when I saw that…it wasn't just that I know the brother's talented. It wasn't just that I know that he's a three-time Super Bowl champion and an NFL Hall of Famer. It wasn't just that I knew he was in television the last six years. I saw me from the standpoint of I was let go in 2009 and left for dead.”

Smith appears to have given more details about his role in getting Sharpe on ESPN as well as the moment that he reached out in his conversation with Cam Newton.

“Shannon didn't even know he was unavailable before I did. If you remember him and Skip got into it about the whole Brady thing and Shannon hard sort of lost it. … Then you fast forward and the whole thing with Damar Hamlin came down and he was off the air that day. And then he came back on the air that [week] and he was trying to say something and Skip wouldn't let him finish his monologue. When I saw that, I called him: ‘It's over.' He's like, ‘What?' I said, ‘You won't be back.' … I know [Skip]. There is no way on earth that that happened and you'll be back. And I said, ‘I want you to know when it happens, not if… I got you.'”

There's clearly still more to the story that, as Smith said in his Joe Budden interview, is on Shannon to tell if he indeed decides to tell it. But, no one can argue that it wasn't a great move for both Smith and Sharpe. First Take has enjoyed massive ratings success and has consistently and routinely beaten Skip Bayless's revamped Undisputed in ratings. And First Take is sure to enjoy even more success as they are set react to the happenings in the Super Bowl LVIII next week.