Fox Sports host Skip Bayless defiantly refused to delete a tweet questioning the NFL’s decision to postpone Monday’s Bills-Bengals game after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field.
Bayless was slammed by critics for the post, which she apologized for on Tuesday’s episode of FS1’s ‘Undisputed’ in the mysterious absence of co-host Shannon Sharpe.
Sharpe, a former NFL tight end, returned to the sports debate program Wednesday, but his monologue didn’t go without being interrupted by a grumpy Bayless.
‘Skip tweeted something, and although I disagreed with the tweet, and hopefully Skip will take it down,’ Sharpe said before Bayless interjected.
‘Timeout,’ Bayless said Wednesday. ‘I won’t take it down, because I stand by my tweet.’
Fox Sports host Skip Bayless (right) defiantly refused to delete a tweet questioning the NFL’s decision to postpone Monday’s Bills-Bengals game after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest . Bayless was slammed by critics for the tweet, which he mentioned on Tuesday’s episode of Fox Sports’ ‘Undisputed,’ during which co-host Shannon Sharpe (left, on Wednesday) was mysteriously absent.
Bayless’ offensive tweet came as Hamlin was being resuscitated on the Paycor Stadium turf Monday night.
‘No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how?’ Bayless asked in his tweet. ‘This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome… which suddenly seems irrelevant.’
The game was ultimately postponed indefinitely and Hamlin remains hospitalized in Cincinnati.
‘He seems to be trending upwards in a positive way,’ Hamlin’s uncle told CNN.
ESPN spoke with friend and family representative Jordon Rooney outside a Cincinnati hospital on Wednesday, and he revealed that doctors are happy with Hamlin’s progress. However, Hamlin is still ‘sedated and in critical condition in the ICU,’ according to Rooney.
Bayless’ offensive tweet came as Hamlin was being resuscitated on the Paycor Stadium turf Monday night
Buffalo Bills players react after teammate Damar Hamlin #3 is injured against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first quarter at Paycor Stadium on Monday
The game was ultimately postponed indefinitely and Hamlin is currently in critical condition at a Cincinnati hospital. ‘He seems to be trending upwards in a positive way,’ said Hamlin’s uncle
Bayless faced a wave of criticism over the tweet, which many labeled as ‘insensitive.’
Sharpe also took issue with the tweet, although he did not blame it on his absence from Tuesday’s show.
‘There was a lot of speculation as to why I wasn’t on the air yesterday, and I’m not going to get into speculation, speculation, innuendo, but I will say this: Watching that game Monday night, what happened to Damar Hamlin struck me a little differently,’ Sharpe said to begin Wednesday’s program.
“As an NFL fraternity, when injuries happen – and we know injuries are part of the game, I’ve seen guys suffer for ACLs and achilles tears – but I’ve never had to see anybody have to be revived and fight for their lives on the field, so the shock was a little different for me, because I remembered seeing my brother [former Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe] paralyzed on the field, temporarily, and he was able to regain focus.
That’s when Bayless interrupted Bayless for the first time.
‘Skip, let me finish,’ Sharpe told his long-time co-host.
‘No, you go,’ said Bayless, seeming to give up.
Sharpe replied: ‘I can’t monologue without you interrupting me.’
Sharpe then tried to refocus the conversation by referring to Tuesday’s absence, and reiterating his concern for Hamlin.
‘I was just gonna say, Skip, I didn’t want, yesterday, to get into a situation where Damar Hamlin is the issue,’ Sharpe continued. ‘We should be talking about him, and not get into your tweet.
That’s what I’ll do. But you won’t even let me finish my opening monologue without interrupting you.’
Bayless apparently did not know that Sharpe would address the issue on Wednesday.
‘I was under the impression you weren’t going to say it, because nobody here had a problem with that tweet,’ Bayless said.
Sharpe disagreed.
‘Obviously the bosses want you to offer an explanation,’ said Sharpe.
Bayless calmly replied: ‘No, they didn’t.’
Both Bayless and Sharpe looked upset as the segment ended, but refrained from raising their voices again.
His tweet sparked outrage among NFL fans, with ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III tweeting: ‘Damar Hamlin’s LIFE hangs in the balance. Get your head out of your ass’
Bayless’ tweet sparked outrage among NFL fans and former players, as ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III tweeted: ‘Damar Hamlin’s LIFE hangs in the balance. Get your head out of your ass.’
NBA star Isaiah Thomas tweeted: ‘I hope they fire you bro!!! For you to even THINK about the game is very sad.’
One fan tweeted: ‘A platform as big as yours and you choose to concern yourself with a game of someone’s life? You are one of the worst here. You’re embarrassing.’
The backlash forced Bayless to apologize for questioning whether the game should be postponed.
Bayless tweeted on Tuesday: ‘Nothing is more important than this young man’s health. That was the point of my last tweet. I’m sorry if that was misunderstood but his health is the only thing that matters. Again, everything else is irrelevant. I prayed for him and will continue.’
The Bills are back at work for the first time since Hamlin’s cardiac arrest.
On Wednesday morning, the Bills tweeted that club officials would “hold meetings and a walk-through” with players and staff, though the team won’t address the media until Thursday.
Other NFL teams also canceled their media availability this week out of respect for Hamlin, including the Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers.
It remains unclear whether the Bills will release any further updates on Hamlin’s condition on Wednesday.
