Shannon Sharpe asked ESPN not to announce his departure from the network until after his brother’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.The three-time Super Bowl champion turned broadcaster is due to be joined in the illustrious halls in Canton, Ohio, by his elder sibling Sterling on Thursday.Sharpe was a seventh-round draft pick who forged a Hall of Fame career977971061It will be the first time two NFL brothers have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the moment has been overshadowed by Shannon’s exit from ESPN.Why is Shannon Sharpe out at ESPN?The co-host stepped back from his ESPN role after being sued by a woman for $50 million, alleging sexual assault, harassment, and battery.He vehemently denied the allegations, and the lawsuit was settled out of court.Shannon was expected to return for the NFL season but the Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported Wednesday that ESPN would not be bringing Sharpe back in any capacity.Sharpe addressed the decision on the lastest episode of his Nightcap podcast with Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson.“To get started, obviously, I’m sure everybody’s heard the news by now that I will not be returning to ESPN,” he said. “I found out this information a little earlier in the week, and really, the only thing I asked was, guys, could we wait until Monday? My brother’s going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.“I know this would… this coming out will overshadow everything that he’s worked his entire life for.“And unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.” What happened to Shannon Sharpe’s brother?Sharpe revealed that he has apologized to his older brother, who is joining Antonio Gates, Eric Allen, and Jared Allen in Canton this year as part of the Hall of Fame class for 2025.The media personality added: “He said, ‘Bro, stop apologizing. You don’t have to apologize. I’m your big bro. I’m going to love you regardless. We all make mistakes. I love you.'”Sterling would have made the Hall of Fame sooner had it not been for a career-ending injuryGettySharpe will still appear on his own podcastsSterling Sharpe was a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who starred for the Green Bay Packers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.However, his Hall of Fame-worthy career was cut short by a neck injury that needed surgery after the 1994 season.Shannon gave his brother his first Super Bowl ring, and shed tears at his own enshrinement in 2011 as he thanked his sibling for his mentorship while lamenting his unfortunate career arc.He delivered the news about Sterling’s induction directly to him in footage from ‘The Hall of Fame Knocks: Class of 2025’.“This is why I get emotional,” Shannon said in in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX.“People ask why [I get emotional], because I had to follow him to get to where I’m going.NFL's Greatest......Ranking the top 10......Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and moreTight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?“I got to walk in his footsteps. Almost everything I learned I learned from him.”Having earned $22.3 million during his Hall of Fame NFL career, Shannon had been in talks over a new $100m media deal to remain at ESPN, but that ship has now sailed.Until April, he had also been a regular across the network having left Fox Sports 1’s Undisputed in 2023.“They (fans) saw me ‘Lakers in five’ and they saw me say all these funny analogies that my grandparents gave me. I was able to bring that to ESPN. So, I’m very, very grateful for that,” he explained.“They did what they felt they needed to do. And I’m at peace with that.” Sharpe also hosts the Club Shay-Shay podcast and recently revealed a missed opportunity in conversation with billionaire and former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Had he trusted his instincts and invested in Google many years ago, a $300,000 investment could have yielded billions.“I remember when Google came out and they thought the shares were going to open up at about $85 a share,” he said.“And I remember saying to my financial guys, ‘you know what, I’ve just signed with the Ravens, I have some money, man I’d like to buy $300,000 worth [of Google shares].“Well, it opens up at $115 [a share], and my guy says, ‘it’s overpriced!’“That motherf*****!”, Cuban and Sharpe burst into laughter as the former Shark Tank investor joked he wasn’t the only person to make that mistake.“It’s [Google] worth over $3 trillion now,” Cuban pointed out to a crestfallen Sharpe.Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our NFL Facebook page, subscribe to our talkSPORT End Zone YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more