Shannon Sharpe, the foil to Skip Bayless' seemingly forced arguments on FS1's Undisputed, seems to be finding his niche in that particular role. Dating back to his playing days, Sharpe has always been a good trash talker, and his ability to avoid dead air has translated well to his new position.
Because of that, GQ recently spoke to the Hall of Famer on a wide range of issues that you can read right here. These issues include where his "candidness" comes from, his thoughts on speaking on social issues, and where he thinks LeBron James is going to end up next year (he said "Cleveland," for what it's worth Cavs fans).
He also spoke about what his favorite part of working on his show is.
"The platform I’ve been given. The opportunity to meet athletes I would have never met otherwise," Sharpe said. "I meet athletes from different backgrounds and see they share the same mentality and process as other athletes in other sports. To see some of the greats come on and talk about how they view things, the era they played in, how it was different from the era before and after them. Talking to guys like Jesse Jackson and Michael Eric Dyson. It’s unbelievable. When these athletes come on, I’m like a kid. I’m like a casual fan meeting their favorite athlete for the first time."
He was also questioned on what he would ask Roger Goodell should he ever get the chance to sit down and interview him, to which he replied he would ask the commissioner about the plan for retired players.
"Roger, what are we going to do to take care of the guys that the NFL was built upon," Sharpe said about this hypothetical line of questioning. "What can we do to help those guys? How are we going to make sure they’re not forgotten, [now] that they can’t score anymore touchdowns, sack anymore quarterbacks, and can’t catch anymore passes?"
Finally he also spoke about whether or not he feels personally responsible for being the reason many Americans Google "Black & Mild and hen-dog," which stems in part from this viral clip:
"I don’t know if that’s a good thing but I think the culture appreciates it," Sharpe said. "People just don’t think someone like myself would actually buy that. I know a lot more than what I say. That’s what takes people by surprise, the mere fact that someone like me would know about Russian Cream Backwoods. That’s what surprises them. They’re judging a book by his cover, like, he shouldn't know that. I know that, but he shouldn’t know that."
Again, read the whole thing over at GQif and when you have time.
