Shannon Sharpe seemed to send a clear message to his Undisputed co-host, Skip Bayless, when he skipped the Jan. 3 episode of the show. Although a reason for Shannon’s absence was not given, it is speculated that Skip’s insensitive tweet about Damar Hamlin was the reason behind the decision. Skip received major backlash for his Jan. 2 tweet, which discussed whether or not the NFL would postpone the Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game after Damar collapsed on the field and was carted off in an ambulance.
Skip Bayless is running Undisputed on his own as Shannon Sharpe does not attend.
His tweets from last night are in the spotlight with regards to Damar Hamlin 🙏pic.twitter.com/RNb96QqMYv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 3, 2023
“No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how?” Skip tweeted. “This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular season outcome…which suddenly seems so irrelevant.” Skip was blasted by fans for putting the NFL season above Damar’s health. The 24-year-old collapsed on the field after being tackled. Medical officials administered CPR for ten minutes, and Damar was eventually carted off the field in an ambulance. It was confirmed that he went into cardiac arrest and was sedated at the hospital, where he remains in critical condition. The NFL wound up postponing the rest of the game.
Just hours after Skip’s tweet went viral (for all the wrong reasons), he appeared solo on Undisputed. “We’re going to try to do the show pretty much as we usually do the show,” Skip said. “I’ll admit upfront that I’m still shook up by what happened last night to Damar Hamlin. In fact, I’m wrecked. In fact, I’m not sure I’m capable of doing this show today, but after barely sleeping on it, I decided to give it a try. We wrestled through most of the night with whether or not to even do a show today because it felt like, in our minds, we almost cant win with this. The last thing we want to do is come off as insensitive to what this young man is going through in a life or death situation.”
Skip concluded his introduction message with a short mention of Shannon’s absence. “Obviously, my partner Shannon Sharpe is not here today,” he said. “I look forward to seeing him tomorrow.” He did not expand on a reason for why Shannon was not present.
After the backlash to Skip’s Jan. 2 tweet poured in, he responded on Twitter with a follow-up message. “Nothing is more important than that young man’s health,” he shared. “That was the point of my last tweet. “I’m sorry if that was misunderstood, but his health is all that matters. Again, everything else is irrelevant. I prayed for him and will continue to.”