Shannon Sharpe Ripped Fox Sports Coworker Jason Whitlock For His Colin Kaepernick Skit

Jason Whitlock wants this to be written and wants you to read it. If you start there it makes this whole thing much less enjoyable, but it’s the truth and the truth is important.

Whitlock is no fan of Colin Kaepernick, who still does not have a job in the NFL this season despite Joe Webb and your neighborhood Allstate dealer appearing at quarterback for the Buffalo Bills this preseason. That’s a note of contention to some NFL fans who think Kaepernick is being shunned for his silent protest during the national anthem last season.

If you’re not keeping score at home: some people think Kaepernick is being blackballed. Others think the protest doesn’t matter — he simply isn’t good enough to play professional football anymore. It’s certainly an issue that people have picked sides on by now, and Whitlock is on the side of those that think Kaepernick should not protest and also should not play football.

So Whitlock caused a stir on Tuesday when he appeared in a picture with someone dressed up in a Colin Kaepernick jersey on Fox Sports on Tuesday. The person was wearing an afro wig and a black glove, similar to that worn by people in the Black Power movement. That gloved hand, of course, was raised in a fist for the photo.

https://twitter.com/WhitlockJason/status/905233739264868354

“Great to have Kap stop by the studio today,” Whitlock tweeted on Tuesday.

The look of satisfaction on Whitlock’s face here really is something. As if to say, ‘oh, yes. This will get them going.’

And that’s exactly what happened. The Tweet set off a long list of reaction GIFs and other people asking why no one at Fox thought this was a good idea. It got, as was the plan, a reaction. The engagement was strong, which is exactly what Whitlock is going for.

The problem is, one of his coworkers didn’t find the skit to be appropriate, either. Fellow Fox Sports employee and Undisputed host Shannon Sharpe took to Twitter early Wednesday and “denounced” the skit, saying he planned to speak with Whitlock about it personally.

At first, Sharpe said he may want to handle the matter internally at Fox Sports and not criticize anyone online.

But the former NFL player made it clear that he was not happy the skit happened in the first place, calling it “UNACCEPTABLE.”

And all of this is still doing what Whitlock intended: to bring attention to himself and Fox Sports. And it could even be clever marketing for Sharpe’s Fox Sports show, too, where he’s sure to bring it up. After all, it’s important to Embrace Debate.

But that doesn’t mean that Sharpe isn’t truly upset about this kind of deliberate, unsophisticated trolling. Sharpe has defended Kaepernick in the past, and he’s shown he’s not afraid to get into it with coworkers he doesn’t feel are acting honestly with their takes. So this is clearly
something that would upset him. It’s very possible he actually is angry that his network deems this kind of dialogue acceptable.

But if it comes as a surprise to him, well, maybe he’s just not watching Fox Sports enough.