Shannon Sharpe tries to clear the air after ‘intimate’ Instagram Live

It was an ungainly day at the Shay Shay Club.

Yesterday, NFL player turned TV personality Shannon Sharpe went viral after 1000’s of his Instagram followers overheard him having sex on Instagram Live. After unknowingly broadcasting the intimate moment on social media, Sharpe addressed the situation in “emergency” episode of his show “Nightcap” with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. Starting the episode on a light-weight note, Sharpe followed his usual intro, “I’m your favorite uncle,” with “at least I used to be your favorite uncle,” jokingly acknowledging what happened on social media.

“Of course I’m ashamed,” Sharpe said, his tone more serious. “(I’m) someone who is extremely, extremely private, and the fact that one of your most intimate details, the sound of it being heard by the whole world, makes me ashamed for many reasons.”

Acknowledging his responsibility as a public figure related to major brands like ESPN and as a father, Sharpe explained how disillusioned he was with himself for what had happened.

“Even when I’m behind closed doors, I still try to maintain a level of professionalism (decorum), even though I’m in the privacy of my own home and I’m very disappointed in myself, not because of the act — there are millions and billions of age-conscious people who participate in the acts. But for your most intimate details to be heard on an audio recording … I’ve let a lot of people down,” he added.

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Despite speculation on social media about the ordeal, Sharpe insisted that “it wasn’t a set up.” According to the “Nightcap” co-host, he threw his phone on the bed before engaging in the revealing actions, not even realizing that his phone had gone live to tell the tale Instagram. It wasn’t until his phone began lighting up with calls from friends that Sharpe realized something had happened.

“I’ve never been on IG Live; I’ve never been on IG Live, so I don’t know how it works,” he claimed, explaining how his friend Jamie Fritz was the one who reached out to him and told him what was occurring. “He said, ‘Uh Shannon, you’re on IG Live.’ (…) Now I’m starting to get nervous because you’re calling me and saying I’m on IG Live when I know I didn’t click on IG Live myself, and he said they can hear me. I said, ‘They can hear what I’m doing,’ (and he said), he said, ‘it sounds like you guys are having sex,'” Sharpe recounted. “Man, my heart just sank… it sank.”

When his social media team responded by turning off the live stream and posting a now-deleted Instagram post saying the star’s account had been compromised, Sharpe ultimately decided honesty was the best policy.

“I called my agency, I called ESPN (and) I said, ‘I just have to tell them the truth. My phone wasn’t hacked. It wasn’t a joke; I was a healthy, active man,'” he said.

While his co-hosts joked that the situation should put an end to any speculation about Sharpe’s sexual orientation, he himself stated that the worst aspect of the situation is the proven fact that his family and friends could have to answer for his actions.

“After it happened, I remembered everything my grandfather and grandmother had said. They said, ‘Boy, you’ve made a mess, now clean it up,'” he concluded.