Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe on First Take SetStephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe (Photo via Instagram)
Shannon Sharpe is not expected to return to ESPN next week, as sources report that the network has banned him amid troubling allegations.

Sharpe was on the network’s flagship show ‘First Take,’ on Monday, the day the news broke of the $50 million lawsuit in which he’s accused of rape. And he surprisingly returned on Tuesday.

The former NFL star and Pro Football Hall of Famer has been on the show on those two days every week since signing with The Worldwide Leader in Sports, and it appears they were prepared to ride it out with him until he had his day in court.

However, it’s now being reported that he will not be coming back. That is according to OutKick’s Bobby Burack, who cites sources who have referenced Michael Irvin’s dismissal from the network after he was accused of s3xual misconduct in 2023.

“ESPN sources have expressed doubt that Sharpe will return to the network,” Burack wrote.

Irvin, who was replaced by Sharpe, has not appeared on ESPN since then, although Stephen A. Smith has been trying to get him back.

Stephen A. Smith Has Addressed The Shannon Sharpe Accusations

Stephen A. Smith and Shannon SharpeStephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe (Photo by Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Smith has addressed the matter on his show, noting that the company is taking the allegations very seriously.

“[ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro] made it very, very clear we are taking this matter very seriously, and we are looking into this very, very closely,” he said. “And once we gather as many facts as we possibly can, we will go from there.”

Smith also disclosed having spoken to Sharpe, who “emphatically proclaims his innocence,” also noting that the alleged victim “emphatically proclaims his guilt.”

“So where does that leave us? I’d love to tell you I know the answer to that question, but I don’t,” he added.

ESPN might not announce a decision on the matter, but if Sharpe is absent from ‘First Take’ next week, their message will be clear enough.

Sharpe is on a deal paying him $6.5 million yearly at ESPN.