NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe has revealed that a moment of intimacy between an unnamed woman and himself, which briefly appeared on his Instagram page, was posted accidentally, rather than being the result of a hacking incident as he initially claimed.
On Wednesday, Sharpe’s 3.2 million followers were taken aback by the sound of a woman moaning during an Instagram Live session that showed up on the former tight end’s profile. Although Sharpe was not visible in the swiftly deleted livestream, he quickly asserted that hackers had compromised his account.
“Beware my @shannonsharpe84 Instagram was hacked this morning, and my team and I are working vigorously to figure this out,” Sharpe wrote, only to remove the post shortly after.
However, during an episode of his Nightcap podcast, Sharpe admitted the posting was due to an accident. He explained that he had unknowingly gone live after tossing his phone onto the bed before his private encounter, which unexpectedly became public.
“I am obviously embarrassed. Being someone who is extremely private, it’s tough to have such intimate details — even if it’s just the audio — heard by the entire world. I feel bad for several reasons,” Sharpe said in the emergency episode of Nightcap.
He expressed disappointment not so much in the encounter itself, but that the audio was exposed to the public. “There are millions of consenting adults who engage in similar activities, but I’ve disappointed a lot of people by letting this happen,” he added.
Sharpe explained the situation further by noting his unfamiliarity with technology, stating he had no idea how Instagram Live functioned. “I tossed my phone on the bed while engaging in an activity. I didn’t recognize IG Live – I’ve never activated it before. Then, suddenly, my other phone started buzzing,” he recounted. “My phone wasn’t hacked. It wasn’t a prank. It was just me being a healthy, active male.”
Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson chimed in, recalling how Sharpe had accidentally “butt dialed” him three times, highlighting his outdated understanding of technology. Johnson expressed his disappointment, saying, “I’m baffled. I never thought I’d see the day where you’d do something so out of character. It’s a little unprofessional. I’m not mad, but I’m thoroughly disappointed because I expect more from you.”
As the podcast progressed, the atmosphere lightened, with Sharpe humorously referencing a male enhancement product that sponsors the show.