Shannon Sharpe Apologizes for Going Live on Instagram While Having Sex: 'Embarrassed'
“I’ve never turned IG Live on so I don’t know how it works,” the ESPN personality said in an emergency episode of his podcast, hours after claiming his account had been hacked
Shannon Sharpe is coming clean.
Hours after explicit audio of a sex act was heard via his Instagram Live — with Sharpe initially claiming that his account was hacked — the Club Shay Shay host spoke out on an emergency episode of Nightcap, the podcast he co-hosts with fellow retired NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
"Obviously I am embarrassed,” Sharpe, 56, said. “[I'm] someone that is extremely, extremely private and to have one of your most intimate details, the audio heard for the entire world to hear, I’m embarrassed for a number of reasons.”
Sharpe continued in the third-person: “People count on Shannon. Shay Shay media … ESPN, there are a lot of people that count on him at all times. Even when I’m behind closed doors, I still try to remain a level of professional, although I’m in the privacy of my own home, and I’m very disappointed in myself, not for the act — there are millions and billions of consenting age that engage in activities.”
Related: Shannon Sharpe Addresses His Ongoing Feud with Shaquille O’Neal: 'I'm Ready to Move On' (Exclusive)
The NFL Hall of Famer went on to say that the sexual act was not “staged,” and that he is unfamiliar with Instagram Live and had never used it before.
“I’ve never turned IG Live on so I don’t know how it works,” he added.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
When his phone started blowing up with people trying to contact him, Sharpe said he began to realize what had happened.
“Man, my heart sank,” he said. “It dropped.”
Earlier in the day, the former Denver Broncos tight end claimed in an Instagram Story that his account had been compromised.
“Beware my @shannonsharpe84 Instagram was hacked this morning, my team and I are working vigorously to figure this out,” he wrote, signing the note with his nickname, Unc.
Related: Shannon Sharpe's 3 Kids: All About Kayla, Kiari and Kaley
Sharpe also made headlines earlier this summer thanks to a beef with Shaquille O’Neal.
The two had a back-and-forth about last season’s NBA MVP, with Sharpe accusing O'Neal of being jealous of Denver Nuggets player Nikola Jokic.
The retired football star shared on Nightcap that he believed O'Neal — who has only one MVP trophy from his Hall of Fame NBA career — was partly "envious” of Jokic.
O’Neal later released a diss track, saying Sharpe was "way beneath me" hailing his podcast as "bulls---.”
While on the red carpet at the Webby Awards in May, Sharpe told PEOPLE that he has “no problem” with Shaq.
"He said what he said, I'm ready to move on,” Sharpe told PEOPLE at the time.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.