Shannon Sharpe Ripped Dez Bryant for Agreeing With Charles Barkley Saying Black People Hold Each Other Back From Being Successful
Shannon Sharpe will listen to anything that comes out of Charles Barkley's mouth when it comes to basketball. But Chuck's opinions on race relations between Black and white Americans are a different story.
That's precisely why the Pro Football Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl champion ripped Dez Bryant for agreeing with Sir Charles's quote, "We as Black people, we're never going to be successful not because of you white people, but because of other Black people."
Sharpe wasn't feeling that at all and proceeded to surgically ether the Dallas Cowboys' star wide receiver for his several Instagram posts about race relations, including his agreeing with Barkley.
“I think Dez’s heart was in a good place, but because he hasn’t read up enough on the race relationship and the history of racism in America, it came out totally wrong," Sharpe said on yesterday's episode of FS1's Undisputed, where he debates with Skip Bayless daily. "Let me take it piece by piece, if I can, Skip. First of all he says he saw a person quote Charles Barkley. I’m going to say this. I have the utmost respect for Charles Barkley, he was a heck of a ballplayer. When it comes to basketball, please quote Charles Barkley. But when it comes to race in America? Please don’t quote Charles Barkley."
He added, "What is happening, Dez, when you say personal accountability — OK, so I’m supposed to hold me accountable for slavery? What about Reconstruction? What about the Jim Crow South? What about segregation? What about the violation of my civil rights and my voting rights?"
And Sharpe was just getting warmed up blasting Bryant's point of view.
“He also said that ‘instead of making videos of the history of racism, we’re one of the few races of people that everybody says, ‘You need to get over your past. Slavery happened 400 years ago. You weren’t [a slave], your parents weren’t in slavery,'" he added. "I have yet to hear a person tell a Jewish person, 'You weren’t in the Holocaust. Get over it.’"
And about Bryant saying Black people need to be accountable?
"And Dez says, ‘You need to be accountable.’ Dez, I can’t get ahead if someone is constantly keeping me behind," Sharpe continued. "Dez, we are not in [a] position … we don’t own TV stations, we don’t own radio stations. For the most part, we are not CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. So we can’t shift the dynamic of the hiring and firing practice that can lift a race of people up.”
Hmm...your thoughts?
Upon learning of Sharpe's strong feelings toward his comments, Bryant said the Undisputed co-host "twisted" his words and felt compelled to appear on the show for a spirited debate, which we would be there for.
Here's Bryant's initial IG posts about race relations, Sharpe's heated reaction and where it stands between the football greats.
The back and forth between Dez and Shannon Sparked When Bryant Posted Several Statements on his IG, one of which had him agreeing with Charles Barkley that Black people are holding each other back from being successful
Shannon latched onto all of the Dallas Cowboys wideout's words and prepared a response of his own.
Dez Probably Didn't Expect Eight Minutes of Heated Response from Sharpe
The former tight end definitely covered every bit of Bryant's sentiments with his response.
But Dez Felt Like Shannon Wrongfully 'Twisted' Up His Words And Felt Triggered To Pull Up on 'Undisputed' Soon
We'd love to see this debate man-to-man on live TV.
To The Accusation of Twisting Dez's Words, Shannon Pleaded That the NFL star think back to his life before the fame
Solid point.
He also rolled out the invitation for Dez to appear on the show
Hopefully this happens soon. It'd be a healthy and needed conversation to have for the culture.
