Shannon Sharpe fired back at Kirk Herbstreit on Monday's episode of 'First Take.' Screen grab: ‘First Take’
College FootballESPNBy Ben Axelrod on

All things considered, Stephen A. Smith took a fairly diplomatic approach while replying to Kirk Herbstreit’s criticism of First Take.

The same, however, can’t be said for Shannon Sharpe.

Two days after ESPN’s top college football analyst took aim at the network’s morning debate show for its criticism of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, First Take‘s stars used their platform to respond. And while he made it clear how much respect he has for both Herbstreit and Chris Fowler, Smith stood his ground, accusing the network’s top college football broadcast team of misquoting him while claiming that First Take had called for Day’s job.

“Stop. Stop it… ‘First Take gotta get him fired.’ That is not true. I did! Not First Take. That was me, Stephen A.,” Smith said. “Don’t misquote me. What I said was, ‘this man Ryan Day, if he doesn’t get a national championship, he should go. Even with a 66-10 record.’ I didn’t stutter one bit, I ain’t stuttering now.”

But while Sharpe did his best to take a similarly measured approach, the Hall of Fame tight end was clearly perturbed by Herbstreit’s invoking the show’s name in the manner that he did.

“I’m gonna be a good teammate. I’m gonna let it slide. Everybody’s at ESPN. Because had you not taken the route you’ve taken, I would’ve lit their asses up,” Sharpe told Smith. “If we’re going to be on the same team, if we’re gonna work for the same network, don’t do that. Kirk, Chris Fowler, I promise you, if you ever mention any platform that I’m on again talking about ‘I wonder what they’re going to say as negativity,’ I promise you, ESPN ain’t got enough bosses to keep me off y’all for what I’m going to say… don’t play with me.”

Herbstreit’s comments came during Saturday’s broadcast of Ohio State’s first-round matchup against Tennessee in the College Football Playoff. With the Buckeyes clearly having the game in hand, Fowler asked Herbstreit how much the victory helped soften the blow of Ohio State’s fourth consecutive loss to rival Michigan, which prompted the speculation regarding Day’s job security.

“I can’t speak on behalf of the lunatic fringe,” Herbstreit said. “I’m not sure how they operate. The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country.”

Herbstreit proceeded to suggest the “lunatic fringe” among his alma mater’s fanbase was growing before turning his attention to First Take.

“First Take tried to fire him,” the longtime College GameDay analyst said. “They thought he was done. So I’ll be excited to see what they talk about on Monday after this performance. They had him out. They’re trying to find replacements. But here he is. He’s still got his hat on. He’s still coaching.”

As Smith noted, Herbstreit’s comments largely misrepresented the actual conversations that were being had on his show, which he still stands by as being fair. At the core of their disagreement appears to be Smith’s belief that Day needs to win a national title to justify keeping his job following four straight losses to Michigan, while Herbstreit thinks anyone questioning the head coach’s job status is a lunatic.

Regardless of which side of the argument you fall on, Herbstreit’s decision to call out First Take during a national broadcast was certainly a bold choice. And with Ohio State advancing to the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Rose Bowl against Oregon — which Herbstreit will call — it will certainly be worth monitoring whether he returns fire at First Take or heeds Sharpe’s warning.

[First Take]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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