ESPN firing Shannon Sharpe cost ex-NFL star crazy amount of money

Shannon Sharpe was on the cusp of a life-changing payday.

Then a disturbing $50 million lawsuit in April, in which his ex-girlfriend accused him of rape, changed everything.

The polarizing ESPN "First Take" commentator as Stephen A. Smith's main antagonist, having honed his on-air debate skills with Skip Bayless on FS1's "Undisputed," was also a podcast star, and was on the verge of securing a $100 million media deal.

ESPN firing him today, as first reported by The Athletic, is probably the final nail in the coffin for a deal like that to materialize anytime soon. To add insult to injury, his podcasts, "Club Shay Shay" and "Nightcap," with Chad Ochocinco, are both part of Colin Cowherd's "The Volume" network, and in the same report, that deal is done at the end of August.

It's hard to imagine that contract will be picked up either.

The lawsuit was dismissed on July 18 as part of a settlement, but it looks like the problems are only getting started for the 57-year-old Denver Broncos legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

If the sports media business, though, has taught us anything, it's that personalities that drive ratings are almost always given second, third, and fourth chances.

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