Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

'First Take' Star Is Likely Done At ESPN

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 7:17 PM ET

One star of ESPN's First Take might be off the air for good according to some reporters.

On the latest edition of The Dan Le Batard Show, former ESPN personality Dan Le Batard made the case that Shannon Sharpe might never return to First Take or ESPN for that matter. He believes that the higher-ups at Disney probably wouldn't allow it given the circumstances that led to Sharpe's recent ousting.

“We probably all know at this point that Shannon Sharpe is not likely to ever work at ESPN again, right? I think we can reasonably assume Shannon Sharpe would like it to look like he has a chance to return,” Le Batard said. “I don’t know if you can be Disney and allow any of what happened there.”

There were a number of things that led to the Hall of Fame tight end disappearing from ESPN. By far the most damning was the disturbing, leaked audio and multi-million dollar settlement agreed to involving Sharpe's ex-girlfriend.

It didn't help that Sharpe released some explicit text messages to try and stave off some of the heat in the very public "blame game."

The end result was a very late statement by ESPN announcing that Sharpe would be stepping away. Later, Sharpe announced that the tour of his popular Nightcap podcast was being postponed.

Feb 2, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Shannon Sharpe during red carpet arrivals for the NFL Honors show at the Fox Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Sharpe was able to parlay his roles on ESPN and FOX Sports before that into a massive contract for his growing media presence. It's very likely that he doesn't need to return to ESPN at this point given how much he's been able to grow on his own.

But time has a habit of healing old wounds. Could we someday see Sharpe back on First Take, or will the events of 2025 haunt him forever?

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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