Shannon Sharpe’s absence from ESPN is not related to IG Live sex tape

Shannon Sharpe is staying out of trouble after his Instagram Live sex video went viral on Wednesday.

TMZ reported that ESPN will not take disciplinary action against the sports media star for the X-rated incident.

Sharpe was absent from the set of “First Take” on Thursday, as Thursday and Friday are his normal days off. He is expected to return to the air on Monday, according to the source.

The former NFL tight end accidentally shared an audio recording of himself having sex with a woman live on the social media platform with his approximately 3.2 million followers.

Sharpe initially claimed his account had been hacked, but a few hours later he backtracked on an episode of “NightCap,” his YouTube show with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, admitting that the audio featured him and a woman.

“Of course I’m embarrassed. When someone is so extremely, extremely private and one of their most intimate details – the audio recording – is out there for the whole world to hear, I’m embarrassed for a number of reasons,” Sharpe said.

“A lot of people rely on Shannon to always conduct herself professionally, and I try to always conduct myself professionally, even when I’m behind closed doors. … I’m very disappointed in myself, not in the act. I think there are millions and billions of people of consenting age who participate in activities, but when you hear the audio, I’m disappointed in myself. I’ve disappointed a lot of people.”

Thousands of people saw Sharpe’s unfortunate accident, and hundreds of thousands more later listened to him speak clearly on his show.

Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro during his NFL Hall of Fame career with the Broncos and Ravens, joined the World Wide Leader in August 2023 after leaving FS1 following a falling out with Skip Bayless.