Never one to bite his tongue, Shannon Sharpe has responded to his former Baltimore Ravens teammate Ray Lewis’ spirited rebuttal that he was praying and not protesting during the national anthem. Sharpe acknowledged he could have called his pal instead of questioning him on air, but admitted he’s not sure he would have said the same words to Lewis’ face.
“Even though he says he was praying — and I take him at his word that he was praying — you mean to tell me you can’t drop down on two knees beside Colin Kaepernick,” Sharpe said on FS1’s “Undisputed” Wednesday, Sept. 27. “And still ask that God that you were [talking] to, as you mentioned, in that sea of chaos that was going on off of what President Trump said? I’m sure Colin Kaepernick would like prayers also.”
Lewis has been vocal about his disagreement with the way free agent quarterback Kaepernick kneeled to protest Black oppression last season.
“Perception is not always reality, given what he had said,” Sharpe continued. “The thing that hurts me the most is that I said what I said, [then] Ray came back with his critique and now we’re talking about it and we’re still not talking about the issue at hand. We’re talking about the anthem.
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“And I’ve tried so hard since I’ve become on this side of the equation, the media, I’ve always tried not to be a part of the story. And what I’ve tried to do is offer my opinion and say, ‘This is what I believe’ and I haven’t wavered when it comes to Colin Kaepernick… Now, Ray and I somehow have become subplots to an issue [where] Ray should have his opinion [and] I should have my opinion. … I honestly believe Ray and I are trying to get to the same destination.”
Sharpe added that regardless of their disagreement, he’s “never gonna fallout” with Lewis.
