On Wednesday, September 11, ESPN personality and former Denver Broncos star tight end Shannon Sharpe's Instagram account briefly broadcast a live video in which people appeared to be having sex.
No faces were captured during the event, but some X users noticed Sharpe's distinctive voice in the clip.
Sharpe quickly posted an explanation to his Instagram story, which has since been deleted:
"Beware my @shannonsharpe84 Instagram was hacked this morning, my team and I are working vigorously to figure this out — UNC," Sharpe wrote.
However, Sharpe quickly walked the hacking claim back. In an episode of his Nightcap podcast with Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson published later that day, Sharpe admitted the incident captured on his Instagram did involve him.
"Obviously, I'm embarrassed," Sharpe said. "I'm extremely embarrassed that in a very private, intimate situation, the audio can be heard."
Sharpe clarified that he wasn't embarrassed about having sex, but that so many people had heard it. He said he had just tossed his phone on the bed and did not realize his Instagram account was broadcasting live until his other phone received repeated FaceTime calls from people he had never FaceTimed with. He didn't answer until his longtime marketing manager called.
"My heart sank," Sharpe said of how he felt when he realized what happened.
He went on to say a member of his personal management team posted the message about the situation being a hack, but after evaluating what had happened, Sharpe realized he wanted to tell the truth.
"It was me being a healthy, active male," he concluded. "Unc get it in. Real talk."
Sharpe said many people in the football world reached out to him, including University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders, who was one of those to FaceTime Sharpe.
"He had some great words for me," Sharpe said. "That's what friends do."
The podcast episode was sponsored by Ro Sparks, which is an erection medication for men.
"Unc" is Sharpe's nickname. In his fourteen years with the Broncos, Sharpe scored 62 touchdowns, was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times and was part of the 1997 and 1998 Super Bowl Champion teams. He also won a Super Bowl in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens before returning to the Broncos to end his career.
Sharpe isn't the only Denver athlete to have such an experience on Instagram. In 2020, Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets appeared to accidentally post a video of himself receiving oral sex from his then-girlfriend on Instagram.
This article was updated on September 12 to include further comments from Shannon Sharpe.
Shannon Sharpe said his account was hacked, but that explanation was later deleted.
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