Ray Lewis and Shannon Sharpe were once bound by football greatness, but now, their paths and philosophies seem to have split. Appearing on the PBD Podcast, Lewis did not hold back when asked about his longtime friend and former teammate's new direction in media.
The Hall of Fame linebacker admitted he was “shocked” by the way Sharpe presents himself on podcasts and social media, accusing him of trading faith and integrity for popularity and money
"I'm shocked at his content. I wouldn't in a million years, the things that Shannon has said now or did now, I would never believe that Shannon will say or do anything like that... I've never saw Shannon with a drink ever. Like it was against the law."
"Because he had some, you know, some stuff in his family that he didn't want to follow that. And then so I kind of started to watch him and then we kind of went our own separate ways because I'm like, you're going to take that route. I can't go that route."
"I never can go that route. And that route is, is to become so worldly that you become popular because you're talking about ignorance. A lot of times, a lot of these gossip conversations that they having and bringing up all this stuff. I'm not going to do that to nobody."
"I'm not, I'm not in the business for that. I'm in life to try to teach people what does it mean to be a better man or get back to the kingdom, you know? And a lot of times, like, and a lot of the guys get in trouble with these podcasts and things, man, because everybody wants to follower."
"Everybody wants to be popular. Everybody wants to make money, but that's a tight rope into what you call influence and popularity. And the devil has the ability to make you popular."
"God has the ability to give you influence that when people see you, they see an image of him. And that's the thing for me that started to switch with, with not just Shannon, but just a couple of people."
"I'm like, wow, you would switch out like that? Really? And I would never ever. Why? Because of the respect that I have for my mother, my daughters, my granddaughters, life period. Like, and I think men given these new platforms, we've overrode what the platform is actually for."
"The platform is supposed to help somebody find a new direction. We don't help. Everybody just gets on. Like everybody's talking now. Everybody got a podcast. Everybody, everybody's the, it's the new marriage coach. Everybody's the new relationship coach and ain't nobody coaching themselves."
"Because when you, if you were coaching yourself, when it says power of life and death is found in the tongue, then go back and check out a couple of episodes and ask yourself, do you give life or do you give death? And that's why me personally. Hmm. Yeah. I kind of do my own thing. Stand my own lane."
Lewis recalled his playing days, when Sharpe’s discipline stood out to him. He remembered never once seeing Sharpe drink alcohol, explaining it was almost like a personal law to him, given his family’s history with substance abuse. For Lewis, seeing Sharpe now openly associated with drinking, gossip-driven conversations, and entertainment-style banter feels like a betrayal of those standards.
The “route” Lewis is referring to is Sharpe’s embrace of modern podcasting and talk show culture, where popularity often comes from being brash, controversial, or willing to dive into gossip. Lewis criticized this trend, saying too many men with platforms are more interested in chasing followers than in uplifting their audience.
The comments arrive at a turbulent moment for Sharpe. Earlier this summer, he faced serious controversy after settling a $50 million civil lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, who accused him of rape and abusive behavior.
ESPN has since cut ties with the Pro Football Hall of Famer and former First Take analyst. Meanwhile, Sharpe continues to run his brand, including his cognac label Le Portier, while still building his podcasting empire.
His critique of Sharpe hits hard because it comes from someone who knows him personally and who clearly feels disappointed by what Sharpe has chosen to represent.
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