Shannon Sharpe Once Needed a Co-Signer to Buy a Car After Making Horrible Financial Choices; “Need a Crane Out Back to Pull My Credit Score Up”

Standing on a net worth of a whopping $14 Million, Shannon Sharpe is doing pretty well for himself. The sports analyst is one of the most sought-after and financially sound former NFL stars. However, it wasn’t always like this. Coming from a humble background, Sharpe wasn’t the most financially literate and made some pretty horrible money calls back in the day.

Talking to Chad Ochocinco on the latest Nightcap episode, the former Tight End made a surprising revelation. The Shay Shay Club host revealed that he needed the help of a co-signer to buy a car when he was new to the NFL.

Shannon Sharpe Needed a “Crane to Pull up” His Credit Score

Unc made some really bad financial decisions in his younger life. He talked about his adult life right after college, and how some of the decisions he made came back to haunt him. Talking of the time right after he got drafted in the NFL and got his first signing bonus, he said,

“When I got my signing bonus, I gave it to my brother. I ain’t open no checking account, I just sent it to my brother. So at this point in time, I gotta go get a car…So I go, I try to get it. Credit bad. Credit so bad that man said he needed the crane out back to pull my credit score up. That’s how low it was Ocho.”

So what was Sharpe’s credit score and how did it get so low? Well, Unc said his credit score around that time was a measly “four and a quarter.” As to how it got so bad, it can be traced back to him making some poor financial decisions in college:

“You know when you’re in college, and they send you them little credit card applications. I had about 4 gas cards, I had Belk, JC Penny, Sears and Roebuck. I had about 7 credit cards.”

Things took a hilarious turn when Ocho also joined in to talk about his own financial hardships. Interestingly, his money troubles began even before Unc’s. Chad was already racking up credit card debt as an infant. He said,

 “My mama man, bless her heart, may she rest in peace. Man, I had a washer and dryer in my name and I ain’t even know it…When I was a little baby, I had a washer and dryer, I had all kinda sh*t in my name.”

White both Unc and Ocho have made quite a bit of money for themselves now, it is not a secret that they came from tough backgrounds. Looking back at it, they laugh at their circumstances, but these stories give a glimpse into the hardships they had to overcome to get where they are now.

The Engine That Drove Unc Before Fame

Shannon Sharpe’s early life in poverty has been well documented. He shared the tear-jerking story about his humble beginnings in his speech when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He revealed that it was his grandmother who raised him and cared for him, despite living in a pretty tough situation herself.

In his speech, he told about the time he asked his grandmother what she would like. And her answer was devastating. She said she just wanted a “decent home.” Upon being asked what she meant by a decent home, she said she wanted a house with a solid enough roof that wouldn’t leave her drenched after a night of rain.