Stephen A. Smith (Photo via YouTube)
Stephen A Smith couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room any longer as he finally broke his silence on Shannon Sharpe.

Sharpe has found himself in a highly-publicized civil battle after he was accused of sexual assault this week.

The football Hall of Famer turned national television star was shockingly accused of assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery. He was also accused of engaging “in the intentional infliction of emotional distress,” with his accuser seeking $50 million in damages.

Smith spent nearly 20 minutes discussing the topic on his self-titled podcast, which was released Tuesday. He called it a “sad situation.”

“Shannon Sharpe is somebody I work with a couple of days a week. Shannon Sharpe is somebody I brought to ESPN. We’ve grown close as friends. I certainly root for him,” he said.

Smith shared his thoughts on the media personality’s decision to disclose the texts: “They revealed some of those explicit text messages. That was uncomfortable,” Smith said.

“I don’t know if that’s a strategy that would work.”

He added: “One of the hardest things in the world for all of us to do is to just lay low and be quiet and let our legal team do it.”

Further in the episode, Smith stated that Sharpe spoke about his innocence to him during a conversation between the two media personalities.

“I can tell you all that I spoke to Shanon, and he emphatically proclaims his innocence,” explained Smith.

In the meantime, Shannon Sharpe has denied all allegations, calling the case a “shakedown.”

Shannon Sharpe Was Told, “No Means No”

Shannon Sharpe (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for The Volume)
The woman alleging that Shannon Sharpe raped her confronted him in a text exchange earlier this year that might prove everything she is saying.

The woman texted Sharpe in January that “no means no” and that she didn’t know “how to process” the situation.

“But I cried when u left because I begged you to put a condom on and not put it in my ass, and u didn’t listen,” the woman said.

“I don’t care what our history is, no means no shannon.”

Shannon Sharpe followed it up with, “Call you later?”

Sharpe is facing a $50 million lawsuit.

Heat’s embarrassing playoff exit should push these three players out the door

It’d be next to impossible that the Miami Heat weren’t embarrassed after how the team acquitted itself in the NBA Playoffs. Sure, Erik Spoelstra’s team deserves some level of kudos for pushing their way into the postseason after a Play-In Tournament run as the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, getting dog-walked four times in a row by the Cleveland Cavaliers to get swept, and with the final straw being nearly a 60-point blowout loss, holding their heads up high really isn’t an option.

Of course, some of this was to be expected after the Jimmy Butler trade. While Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and others do represent a strong core for the Heat still, the roster as a whole is a bit in flux. What is their identity? Who is the star to lead them forward? That last question is the most interesting, especially considering that the answer might be someone not on the roster.

Pat Riley and the Heat have never been short on aggression when it comes to making moves, and it stands to reason that they’ll look to ostensibly replace Butler as the franchise’s star this offseason. So, even though the Heat don’t have many free agents of consequence (at least ones who will actually depart), such big moves in the trade market mean that some familiar faces in Miami could be playing elsewhere to start the 2025-26 season.

These three players in particular seem the most likely to end up on the move this offseason.

3. G/F Duncan Robinson

The Duncan Robinson contract continues to be baffling, which is ultimately indicative of who the wing is as a player. There are games when he’s simply unconscious from long range and able to take a night over. Other instances, he’s a net-negative to even have on the floor. That’s not a fun place to be in but, with a $19+ million player option for the 2025-26 season, he’s sure to take that and stay on the books for the Heat.

That doesn’t mean, however, that Miami has to keep him. For one, he’s one of the few players who could just be sent packing. There is a brief time period in early-mid July in which the Heat could cut Robinson and save $10 million. It’s also possible that he could be moved in a deal, perhaps a trade for a veteran role player wherein the Heat could eat $10 million of the contract and lessen the cap hit on their trade partner.

In either case, Robinson doesn’t feel like he’s long for Miami when looking into the future. His spark-plug nature has value in the league but, with the current state of the Heat roster, I’m not sure that value lies with the team that brought him into the league.