Stephen A. Smith Talks Shannon Sharpe Livestream Debacle

Stephen A. Smith stands behind his co-host of ESPN’s “First Take,” NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who sparked a media frenzy this week after he said he inadvertently livestreamed an audio recording of himself performing a sex act.

Smith addressed the incident on his YouTube show Friday, saying Sharpe was telling the truth when he said the intimate moment was accidentally broadcast on Instagram Live.

The ESPN personality said Sharpe was “incredibly private” and “clueless” when it comes to using social media technology.

“Shannon Sharpe didn’t commit a crime. This wasn’t a sex tape that he wanted everyone to hear. That’s not how he operates,” Smith said.

“Trust me and believe me, it was a mistake,” he added later.

Sharpe was not visible in the live video, but two people could be heard moaning and breathing.

The former NFL tight end initially claimed his Instagram account had been hacked, but later admitted that wasn’t true.

“I threw my phone on the bed, I was doing something. I didn’t know about IG Live. I’ve never had IG Live on, so I don’t know how it works, and all of a sudden my other phone started ringing,” he said on his “Nightcap” podcast Wednesday. “My phone wasn’t hacked. This wasn’t a prank, this was me being a healthy, active man.”

Elsewhere in his podcast, Sharpe said that as an “extremely, extremely private” person, he was mortified by the whole ordeal.

“The fact that one of your most intimate details – the audio – is being heard and the whole world is hearing it, bothers me for a number of reasons,” he said.

In June, Sharpe signed a multi-year deal with ESPN to expand his role on “First Take.” He is expected to return to his regular role on the sports show on Monday, The Washington Post reported.