Shannon Sharpe's surprising admission over Shaquille O'Neal beef

06/29/2024 01:52 PM

A feud between Shannon Sharpe and Shaquille O’Neal probably wasn’t anything people expected, but it’s what we got. The former athletes who both turned into media stars in their own way found themselves beefing with each other in May following O’Neal, in a highly criticized moment, told Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have won the NBA Most Valuable Player award instead of Jokic.

Sharpe reacted to O’Neal’s statement on his ‘Nightcap’ podcast with Chad Johnson and Gilbert Arenas, saying that O’Neal, who has often complained about winning just one MVP during his career, came off jealous of Jokic’s accomplishments. Sharpe also echoed a popular sentiment that O’Neal, despite often being considered one of the most dominant and best centers of all time, did not work as hard as he should or could have.

O’Neal did not take kindly to Sharpe’s criticism and blasted the former NFL great in an Instagram post, saying that “if you ain’t ranked in the top ten in your profession, then you can’t speak on Me” and referenced a notorious Skip Bayless moment in which Bayless belittled Sharpe’s NFL career.

On Cam Newton’s ‘Funky Friday’ podcast, Sharpe confirmed that he and O’Neal have not talked since then.

“Shaq feels the way he feels, and he’s perfectly fine to feel that way,” Sharpe said. “I said what I said — I still think Shaq is a phenomenal basketball player, even though he minimized my career. I’m fine. The thing is, what I’m able to do, Cam, is that when I lay my head on a pillow at night, I know all I could get out of my career was three Super Bowls, a Hall of Fame [induction], and at the time of retirement, on all the tight end records. That’s all I could get out of my career.”

Sharpe admitted, after Newton said he hates “Black people arguing with Black people,” that he maybe shouldn’t have said anything at all about O’Neal.

“I might have felt or thought the way I thought about Shaq in that moment, I didn’t have to verbalize it,” Sharpe said.

“I didn’t have to say what I said in that moment, and I apologize for offending him. But the apology doesn’t matter because the thing is when you say to somebody, ‘if I offended you,’ it only matters to you, because the person is equally as offended even though you didn’t mean to do it. So that’s where I am with that. I don’t have any ill will towards Shaq, I don’t have no problems with Shaq, he’s a phenomenal businessman, he’s done unbelievable, not only on the court but he’s been even better off the court, if you can believe that given what he accomplished on the court.”

Shannon Sharpe’s historic NFL career

While Shannon Sharpe and Shaquille O’Neal can feel however they want about their own or each other’s careers, Sharpe’s NFL career was great and historic. A seventh-round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, Sharpe managed to make the Denver Broncos’ roster as a rookie, and eventually ascended to be one of the greatest tight ends in the league’s history.

Despite playing in a time in which the NFL did not value passing nearly as much as it does today, Sharpe surpassed the 1,000-receiving-yard mark three times as a pro and totaled more than 10,000 yards (the first tight end to ever do so) and 62 touchdowns over a 14-year career. When he retired in 2004, he was the NFL’s all-time leader among tight ends in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Additionally, he won three Super Bowls and was named an All-Pro five times and Pro Bowler eight times.

Since retiring, Sharpe has become one of the most sought-after sports media personalities, highlighted by his time on FS1’s ‘Undisputed’ with Skip Bayless and now on ESPN, where he regularly appears on ‘First Take’ with Stephen A. Smith.

The post Shannon Sharpe's surprising admission over Shaquille O’Neal beef appeared first on ClutchPoints.