After originally alleging he was hacked, football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe revealed Wednesday that he mistakenly livestreamed sounds of himself having sex to his almost 3.2 million Instagram followers.
On an emergency edition of the “Nightcap” podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow ex-NFLer Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, the long-time Denver Broncos tight end apologized for his error.
“Obviously, I’m humiliated. Someone who is really private, and to have one of your most intimate things—the audio—broadcast for the entire world to hear, I’m ashamed for a variety of reasons,” Sharpe stated.
“There are a lot of people that count on Shannon to be professional at all times, and I always try to be professional at all times, even when I’m behind closed doors.”
The event went viral as millions of people commented and shared the link to Sharpe’s Instagram account. He eventually withdrew the message, which he attributed to his lack of technological skills.
“I threw my phone on the bed, engaged in an activity,” he told me. “I didn’t realize Instagram was live. I’ve never gone live on Instagram, so I’m not sure how it works, then my second phone suddenly started ringing off.
Sharpe won three Super Bowls in his 14-year career, two with the Broncos (after the 1997 and 1998 seasons) and one with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. Sharpe was one of the most dominant tight ends in NFL history, earning first-team All-Pro honors four times and being chosen to the league’s All-Decade Team in the 1990s.
Sharpe has maintained a consistent presence in sports media since retiring as a professional, most notably battling with Skip Bayless on FS1’s “Undisputed” until quitting the show this summer.
He has subsequently become an ESPN contributor, in addition to hosting his podcast alongside Ochocino.
