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ESPN had some in-house drama take place over the first weekend of the 2024 College Football Playoff.
After Kirk Herbstreit, who's both a color commentator for the network and a member of the "College GameDay" crew, called out ESPN's longtime sports show, "First Take," both Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith had a response prepared on Monday morning.
Herbstreit's comments came during Ohio State vs. Tennessee in the first round of the playoff. He took aim at "First Take" for the show's responsibility in suggesting Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day should be fired.
Here's what Herbstreit, Sharpe and Smith had to say.
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Shannon Sharpe vs. Kirk Herbstreit beef, explained
"First Take" is, by nature, a sports show full of hot takes. Both Smith and Sharpe play significant roles in arguing about their stances on current sports news, and one big topic in recent weeks has been whether or not Ohio State should soon let go of its head coach, Day.
The Buckeyes dropped their final regular season game to Michigan, casting doubt on their National Championship chances. But when they faced Tennessee in the first round of the playoff on Saturday, they walked away with a massive 42-17 victory.
Herbstreit, who was on the call as an analyst for the game, was part of a discussion about the reality of Day's job security toward the end of the matchup. He suggested "First Take" has played a role in the speculation about Day being fired, saying the show "tried to fire him" and "they thought he was done."
In defense of Ryan Day, Kirk Herbstreit took aim at:
- The "lunatic fringe" at Ohio State. "The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country."
- First Take: "They thought he was done. So I'll be excited to see what they talk about on Monday." pic.twitter.com/0Ovs0MBMOd
MORE: Four CFP blowouts show the seeding must be fixed in the 12-team format
With "First Take" airing for the first time since Herbstreit's comments on Monday, Smith had a response ready. He noted his respect for Herbstreit and his play-by-play partner, Chris Fowler, but then took full responsibility for any speculation about Ohio State firing Day.
"Stop it ... 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."
Stephen A. Smith responds to Kirk Herbstreit: "Stop it... 'First Take gotta get him fired.' That is not true. I did! Not First Take. That was me, Stephen A... 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… pic.twitter.com/LKU4MkQPqE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 23, 2024MORE: College Football Playoff a winner after first-round blowouts set up amazing quarterfinals
Smith's comments on the beef with Herbstreit were fairly civil compared to Sharpe's, who said "don't play with me" and "if we're gonna work for the same network, don't do that."
"If you ever mention any platform that I'm on again and talk about, 'I wonder what they're going to say as negativity,' I promise you, ESPN ain't got enough bosses to keep me of y'all for what I'm gonna say."
Shannon Sharpe on Kirk Herbstreit's criticism of First Take: "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… pic.twitter.com/4IPLUU5rYy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 23, 2024The beef surrounding Herbstreit and the "First Take" crew stems back to debates over whether or not Day should be fired, with Smith doubling down on his original opinion. Sharpe, meanwhile, clearly had some negative feelings toward Herbstreit for criticizing the show that airs on the network he also works for.
However, Sharpe shared on Tuesday that he "cleared the air" with Herbstreit after he reached out, also explaining why he felt Herbstreit had taken a shot at "First Take."
"I was glad that Herbie reached out. We were able to put this behind us,” Sharpe said. "I just wanted to know, are we teammates or are we not teammates? That’s all I needed to know. Because if we’re not teammates, let’s throw caution to the wind."
Unc addresses his ‘First Take’ comments on Kirk Herbstreit @ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @ShayShayMedia_ pic.twitter.com/4AFnVzSv9N
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) December 24, 2024COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS:
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