“We Have Been Deceived by Shannon Sharpe”: Asante Samuel’s Hot Take on UNC-ESPN Breakup

In light of settling a $50 million rape case that sent shockwaves through the sports media world, Shannon Sharpe was fired by ESPN. After parting ways with the popular show Undisputed in 2023, the Hall of Fame tight end joined the worldwide leader in sports. But in just two short years, he has already been sent packing.

No details were ever released about the sexual assault case, and Sharpe dismissed the claims at the time as “false and disruptive.” Yet, now that it is settled, outsiders are left to pick up the pieces and wonder how we got here.

One person who’s supremely engrossed in the drama is former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel. He’s been tracking the situation closely and recently decided to share his thoughts on the matter … What he said made everything even more interesting.

“Can anybody guess what I’m talking about when I say- we have been deceived by old Unc, Shannon Sharpe, and his team?” Samuel asked on his podcast, Say What Needs To Be Said. 

After asking the rhetorical question, Samuel dove into his qualms. He discussed how a story was released, claiming that Sharpe and his podcast network were expected to sign a $100 million deal. The story was published just before the former tight end was accused of sexual assault.

Samuel believes the story was ultimately released to draw attention away from the allegations.

“I believe this was meant to be a distraction,” Samuel stated. “Think about it. Unc and Ocho and all their promo alliances came out of nowhere, acting like Shannon Sharpe was about to sign this big old deal. It just blurted out of nowhere… Just to find out he was dealing with some heinous allegations.”

It’s an interesting point to note, given that no mention of the deal has been made since. That could be because the companies offering the deals hadn’t heard about Sharpe’s allegations yet. But let’s stick with Samuel for the moment.

The former corner then explained why he believes the story about a $100 million deal was never real.

“Something smells fishy. And I can see this concept was designed to try to make companies bite on giving Shannon Sharpe a bigger deal.”

Who knows if that was ever the case? But Samuel’s conspiracy theory is definitely intriguing.

Sharpe’s Current Financial Situation

As you might have guessed, Sharpe never got to sign that new $100 million deal. And on top of having to pay $50 million to his accuser, it’s taken a toll on his bank account. He shared on a recent episode of his podcast that money is tight right now.

“Pockets are light right now,” Sharpe said on Nightcap.

The quote came during a back-and-forth with Chad Johnson and was almost said jokingly. But the fact that he brought it up suggests it’s been on his mind. It’ll be interesting to see how things play out for Sharpe from here. Will he go bankrupt? Or will someone sign his podcast network to a deal? Only time will tell.