SHANNON Sharpe has claimed that his viral livestream blunder could cost him as much as $200million.

The ESPN star, 56, accidentally went live on Instagram while having sex on Wednesday.

Shannon Sharpe explained his blunder on his Nightcap showCredit: X/NightcapShow_

The former NFL star went live on Instagram during an intimate actCredit: Instagram/shannonsharpe84
His team initially claimed that the NFL Hall of Famer’s account had been hacked, before he owned up to it on his Nightcap podcast.

Podcaster Jason Whitlock subsequently claimed that Sharpe is a “master at baiting” – and suggested that his sex tape blunder could have been intentional.

On a further edition of his Nightcap show recorded on Thursday, however, Sharpe vehemently denied any such rumors – pointing to several potential deals he could now face missing out on.

“People are trying to say it was staged,’ he began. “Today I just lost an interview on Club ShayShay that would have been the most visible person I would have been able to interview to date. They said no.

“We’ve got six- and seven-figure sponsors and advertisers saying, ‘Shannon, we don’t know if we want to continue this relationship’.”

He then went on to add, “My company, ShayShay Media, is about to become a free agent, so that means Nightcap and Club ShayShay, we’ll be able to take it wherever we want to go.

“So you think I would be willing to risk that… the next five to seven years, $170million to $200million, you think I would be willing to risk that to do this?

“Would you be willing to risk $200million?”

While Sharpe outlined the potential business he could stand to lose out on, he will not be disciplined by ESPN.

Despite this, however, he did not feature on Thursday’s episode of First Take.

Shannon Sharpe challenges NFL legend Chad Ochocinco after tense Nightcap podcast moment that left viewers stunned
Host Molly Qerim was instead joined by Stephen A. Smith, Dan Orlovsky and Jason McCourty.

When first referencing his unfortunate mistake, Sharpe admitted that his “heart sank” upon realising what had happened.

“All of a sudden people are calling me, ‘Shannon you’re on IG Live. They can hear you were having sex’,” he said, recalling the moment he realized his phone was streaming to millions.

“My phone wasn’t hacked, it wasn’t a prank, it was me being a healthy, active male,” Sharpe continued.

First Take viewing figures

First Take went from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim last year.

The weekday ESPN debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 – making it the most-watched year in program history.

Its December average of 611,000 was a 24% year-on-year increase compared to 2022.

The show also reported more than 250 million views on YouTube.

First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.

“Obviously I am embarrassed… I’m someone who is extremely, extremely private.

“And to have one of your most intimate details – the audio – heard for the entire world to hear, I’m embarrassed for a number of reasons.”

“I did not know [how to use] IG live,” he told Nightcap co-star Chad ‘Ocho’ Johnson.

“I’ve never turned IG live on. So I don’t know how it works.”

Sharpe spent the bulk of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos before retiring after the 2003 season.

During his illustrious playing career, the tight end won three Super Bowls.