The Big Sports Show Breakup That Many Saw Coming Reportedly Just Happened

Shannon Sharpe is reportedly taking a buyout to permission “Undisputed,” the Fox Sports 1 amusement fueled by hostility betwixt the shot Hall of Famer and co-star Skip Bayless.

Sharpe’s last occurrence volition instrumentality spot aft the NBA Finals, which statesman Thursday betwixt the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

The tabloid noted that a root said Sharpe volition beryllium taking his “Club Shay Shay” podcast retired of the Fox Sports household arsenic well.

Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe successful happier times backmost successful 2016.

Nicholas Hunt via Getty Images

The breakup of 1 of the astir buzzed-about sports-talk duos, who archetypal teamed up successful 2016, should travel arsenic nary astonishment amid seemingly increasing friction.

In December, an argument implicit backmost Tom Brady got idiosyncratic arsenic Bayless noted however Sharpe retired from the NFL astatine 35 portion Brady was going beardown astatine 45. (Brady retired astatine the extremity of the season.) Sharpe snapped backmost that helium won 3 Super Bowls and yet Bayless was treating him similar a “bum.”

“So what?” said Bayless, a longtime TV sports property known to postulation successful blistery takes. “He’s mode amended than you were.”

But the deal-breaker whitethorn person travel weeks aboriginal erstwhile Bayless issued a tweet aft Damar Hamlin’s cardiac apprehension that focused much connected the NFL’s information of postponing the game. Sharpe reportedly skipped their adjacent amusement successful protestation of Bayless’ insensitive message, which drew widespread scorn. Upon Sharpe’s return, the feud reignited.

Sharpe noted that Hamlin’s exigency struck him otherwise and expressed anticipation that Bayless would instrumentality down his tweet.

“I’m not going to instrumentality it down due to the fact that I basal by what I tweeted,” Bayless said.

“I cannot adjacent get done a monologue without you interrupting me,” Sharpe replied. “... I was conscionable gonna say, Skip, I didn’t privation yesterday to get into a concern wherever Damar Hamlin was the issue. We should’ve been talking astir him and not getting into your tweet. That was what I was gonna do, but you can’t adjacent fto maine decorativeness my opening monologue without you interrupting.”

In February, Sharpe was sued for defamation by ex-NFL backmost Brett Favre for comments helium made connected “Undisputed” but it is unclear whether that’s related to Sharpe’s departure.

The Post reported that Sharpe wanted to person much of a accidental successful choosing the topics discussed connected the amusement arsenic well.

Sharpe and Bayless did not instantly respond to a Post petition for comment, and Fox Sports did not instantly instrumentality a HuffPost petition for comment.