NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe has revealed the exact moment he realized he’d been broadcasting his private bedroom antics to the world.

The ESPN analyst accidentally streamed a “sex tape” on his Instagram page on Wednesday.

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Shannon Sharpe discusses his embarrassing live stream blunder on the Nightcap podcastCredit: Nightcap

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Sharpe accidentally went live on Instagram on Wednesday, broadcasting to his 3.2m followersCredit: Instagram/shannonsharpe84
Sharpe went viral after the raunchy livestream – which has since been deleted – was broadcast to his 3.2 million followers.

Moaning and sexual comments could be heard in the clip, which peaked with over 6,000 live viewers.

The First Take star initially claimed he’d been hacked, before deleting a post on X which claimed he was “working vigorously to figure this out.”

Sharpe later admitted on his Nightcap podcast he had run foul of technology and it was indeed him in the clip, despite viewers never seeing his face.

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

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

Sharpe explained he began “receiving FaceTime calls” from numerous celebrity names in his phonebook, some of which he’d “never spoken to before.”

“All of a sudden people are calling me, ‘Shannon you’re on IG Live. They can hear you were having sex’,” he continued.

“My heart sank. I called my agent, I called the agency, I called ESPN and I just told them the truth.

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

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Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl champion, spent the majority of his career with the Denver Broncos.

He is regarded as one of the greatest tight ends to ever play in the NFL and has enjoyed a long career in broadcasting since retiring in 2003.

As well as his Nightcap and Club Shay Shay podcasts, Sharpe is a regular on First Take and ESPN.

He penned an extension with the network earlier this summer after joining from Fox Sports last September.

Shannon Sharpe’s playing career

Shannon Sharpe was a three-time Super Bowl champion before his heavyweight media career.

The former tight end played in the NFL from 1990 until 2003 – mostly with the Denver Broncos.

He was part of the Super Bowl championship teams in 1998 and 1999 as well as the Baltimore Ravens’ title-winning team in 2001.

Sharpe was an eight-time Pro Bowler and voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He finished with 10,060 career receiving yards from 815 receptions with 62 touchdowns.

The ex-NFL star has had just as strong a career on television screens since retiring.

“Obviously I am embarrassed,” Sharpe continued.

“I’m someone that 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 always try to be professional even when behind closed doors.

“I’m very disappointed in myself. Not for the act but for the audio to be heard.

“My kids, I called them, called my sister. This was not staged. I came in, threw my phone on the bed, engaged in an activity.”

Sharpe appears every Monday and Tuesday on First Take, so isn’t expected back on ESPN until after the weekend.