NFL Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe is facing criticism after a heated exchange on X (formerly Twitter) in which he was accused of being “anti-black.”
The controversy began when Sharpe discussed Caitlin Clark’s rookie season on ESPN’s First Take, defending her success while clarifying that praising Clark doesn’t undermine the accomplishments of former WNBA legends like Candace Parker or Lisa Leslie.
A user on X took issue with Sharpe for allegedly focusing on Clark while ignoring the disrespect faced by other WNBA players, both current and past. In response, Sharpe said, “That’s your issue, not mine. I have no issue with anything I’ve said in regards 2 WNBA and its players, past or present.”
The situation escalated when a Black woman, using the username @ungodlywests, sarcastically responded, “oh i’m sure you don’t,” to which Sharpe mockingly replied, “Don’t you have another horse 2 rob of his hair?”
This comment sparked outrage, with many users accusing Sharpe of being “anti-black” for mocking the woman’s hair.
Sharpe continued fighting the criticism by saying he does not care what people think of him and he does not play the victim.
Some users also allege that the woman Sharpe mocked was using rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s profile picture, which seemingly confused him.
Sharpe later announced he would no longer respond to negativity, stating, “I will no longer respond 2 any negativity. It’s not that serious 4 me.”
Sharpe also found himself in controversy earlier this month when an explicit video was mistakenly shared on his Instagram Live on a fateful Wednesday morning. He later apologized for the incident, admitting it was an honest mistake.
