Shannon Sharpe took a moment to thank Chad Ochocinco for sticking by him through his sexual assault lawsuit and the settlement that followed.
On a recent episode of their Nightcap podcast, Sharpe gave his co-host his flowers for unwavering loyalty.
“I appreciate you, Ocho, because you texted me like, ‘Unc, I’m with you. Whatever we gotta go through, we’re going through it. You ain’t by yourself,’” Sharpe said.
Ochocinco replied, “‘Til the wheels fall off. You gave me an opportunity.”
Sharpe went on to share that, unlike Ochocinco, many people seemed to distance themselves while he was dealing with his legal troubles. “There’s so many people that used to call, used to text me, and I haven’t heard from them since this happened,” he said.
“I don’t wish this on anybody, but what it did do was really show me who’s really there,” Sharpe continued. “A lot of people were around when things were good and at their peak.”
He also mentioned his relationship with Stephen A. Smith, adding, “He’s been great. He was calling, saying, ‘Anything I can do? What can I do?’”
Sharpe has been open about how his life has shifted since settling his $50 million sexual assault lawsuit and being let go from ESPN.
In a previous Nightcap episode, while discussing Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ unwillingness to pay people promptly, Sharpe joked that Ochocinco had similar habits.
“‘I’ll pay you when I get ready,’” Sharpe said, imitating Jones before turning to Ocho. “‘Like you do me. Like you owe me [$]5,900. You basically told me, ‘I’mma pay you when I get ready.’”
“I ain’t say that,” Ochocinco shot back, to which Sharpe replied, “No, your actions did.”
Sharpe revealed that Ochocinco’s “debt” was “coming up on a year” and joked that there was a “penalty for being late.” He then laughed that his pockets were “light right now,” hinting it was due to the settlement.
