Stephen A. Smith Disputes Report That Shannon Sharpe Has Finalized ESPN, ‘First Take’ Deal

On the heels of Shannon Sharpe’s reported deal to join ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith disappointed excited sports fans on Thursday night with a surprising response to the news.

In short, according to Smith himself, Sharpe, has, in fact, not yet signed a contract to co-host the mega-popular show, as first reported by New York Post’s Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel.

“It’ll be great to have him. Here’s the issue, we don’t,” Smith said on his self-titled YouTube Show. “Shannon Sharpe has yet to sign on the dotted line to be a member of First Take. It has not happened yet.”

Despite the firm confirmation, however, the longtime ESPN personality went on to say that he’s still ”confident” the rumored deal will eventually happen, and will do everything he can to make it a reality.

“I have no doubt that I’m going to exhaust any means I have available to me to make it happen,” added Smith.

In the months since Sharpe left Fox Sports, Smith has expressed his desire to bring him to ESPN on numerous occasions. He continued that trend on Thursday by saying he “respects” and “likes” the Hall of Fame tight end, noting that he would be a “tremendous asset to the show.”

Needless to say, while Smith’s comments may have quieted the fanfare surrounding Sharpe’s eventual First Take debut to a dull roar, the interest figures to remain at an all-time high as long as Sharpe remains available.