“Undisputed” sports commentator Shannon Sharpe’s unexplained absence from the Fox show on Tuesday prompted fans to speculate that she was protesting co-host Skip Bayless’s insensitive tweet about Damar Hamlin from the night before.
The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills player collapsed on the field during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. CPR was administered for 10 minutes before Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored and he remains hospitalized in critical condition.
While thousands of fans tweeted their concern for Hamlin, Bayless seemed more focused on the game itself.
“No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how?” Bayless Tweeted At 9:30 p.m., before the game was officially adjourned, “At the end of the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.”
Bayless was immediately blasted by fans, athletes, and sports reporters for being more concerned about the game than Hamlin. former cleveland cavaliers player kendrick perkinsnow an ESPN analyst, tweeted, “You are a sick person. Real talk.”
Dez Bryant, who played for the Dallas Cowboys, Tweeted “F- you Skip Bayless,” adding, “We need to cancel @RealSkipBayless ASAP!!!”
Isaiah Thomasa former Celtics player, replied to Bayless’ tweet, “I hope they fire you bro!!! Too sad for you to even think about the game.”
Brian Lindner wrote pen live that Bayless is “a living, breathing troll … so it should come as no surprise that he could not fully humanize himself in the moments following the horrific injury.”
in between, Sharp tweeted Monday night, “Please keep Demar Hamlin and his family in your thoughts and prayers. The NFL doesn’t have a manual on how to move forward after an incident like this.
The fans cheered Sharpe’s absence. “I respect Shannon Sharpe for not showing up to today’s Undisputed,” one viewer Tweeted,
“That boy should stop fighting for his life. Glad Shannon didn’t show up. What Skip did last night was disgusting,” another wrote,
Bayless apologized on Tuesday’s showsaying, “I am still shaken by what happened to Asphalt Hamlin last night,” and added, “Nothing is more important than the health of that young man.”
He tried to explain that his controversial tweet was meant to convey the sentiment that, given Hamlin’s downfall, “everything else is irrelevant.” He said, “That was the point of my last tweet. I am sorry if I misunderstood but his health matters. Then, everything else is irrelevant. I prayed for them and will continue to do so.
He said he got a call from his “boss at Fox” who told him, “Hey, people are really reacting strongly to your tweet. Maybe you should clarify.
On Tuesday, he said he wasn’t sure he would do an episode of “Undisputed”: “I don’t lose much sleep knowing that we have a show that we may or may not do.” [Watch the clip of Tuesday’s “Undisputed” above.]
Bayless was previously criticized for his comments about Dallas Cowboys player Dak Prescott, which he said were “misconstrued”, and for which he did not apologize.
His and Sharpe’s discussions on “Undisputed” are often heated and contentious, as in ttheir latest argument about Tom Brady where Bayless called Sharpe’s position “a flat-out lie that you’re promoting.”
