National Football League

Skip Bayless, Richard Sherman relive 2013 clash on new-look 'Undisputed'

Published Aug. 28, 2023 7:08 p.m. ET

When Richard Sherman was announced as a panelist for "Undisputed," many wondered how he would mesh with Skip Bayless following their tense exchange on a different show 10 years ago.

In the debut of the revamped "Undisputed" on Monday, both Bayless and Sherman said the incident is very much in the past, but the two still took a trip down memory lane to explain what happened during their appearance on an ESPN show in 2013.

Bayless was told by Sherman's team that the star cornerback "didn't want to do anything controversial" during his appearance on the show a decade ago. Due to that, Bayless said he was going to "let [his] guard down." However, Bayless drew Sherman's ire before the episode even began.

"You [Sherman] were about to get hooked up, mic'd up audio-wise, and you had your earpiece in, but you don't yet have your microphone," Bayless explained. "So, my producer is frantically saying in my ear as we come on live for just a half-hour show, ‘You’ve got to vamp!' So, I was just babbling. I don't have a game plan. I don't have anything. I reached for, ‘Well, Richard’s been saying that he's already better than Darrelle Revis. I don't see that yet. Not yet.'

"At that moment, you sat down, and I think we asked you some cliché football question. Instead, you answered it by coming right at me."

Sherman said that he's a "big-time respect guy," so he felt slighted by what Bayless said.

"You said I had gotten into these controversies," Sherman recalled. "I usually don't start them. But I'm happy to finish them. You run your mouth — Tom [Brady] was talking that game, so I talked. Revis was talking on Twitter and had gone on a rant. So, I'm going to talk, put the numbers out there and the facts. If I ain't got the numbers, I'm not making the case.

"All I could hear was the disrespect in my ear. Not even like, ‘He’s in the same ballpark, or he's coming on.' It was, ‘He’s not even in the same stratosphere.' I was like, OK, this is disrespect, Skip. I'm going to have to respond to this as soon as possible. So, when I got on the show, it was the first thing, first chance I get, I don't care about the question."

Skip Bayless and Richard Sherman reunite after their viral moment from 2013

Bayless was restrained in his response at the time, saying he felt he couldn't "really fight fire with my usual fire or this is going to blow up." He also understood where Sherman was coming from, saying he would've felt similarly if someone made those comments about him.

"The truth is, the more that we've talked about it, I'm built just like you are," Bayless said. "If it had been shoe on the other foot, I would've came after me just like you came after me because I would've been incensed over it. It was very disrespectful."

Sherman agreed, saying he felt "grateful for our moment" and that it was "positive for both of us in the end."

"We've talked, as we've had our conversations, our brunches, our conversations in the green room," Sherman revealed. "It's been amazing to hear how similar we are and how prepared and driven you are. You came from the bottom. I've got a ton of respect for what you've done and how you've done it. You've made yourself a household name without playing a sport."

Added Sherman: "I can't wait for this show to continue and for us to go back and forth. I'm excited. This is going to be a lot of fun."

A new-look "Undisputed"

Sherman was just one of three new panelists introduced as part of the revamped "Undisputed" on Monday. The show also welcomed Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin and Super Bowl champ Keyshawn Johnson to the desk.

Bayless gave personal introductions for each panelist as they made their way onto the set to start Monday's show, calling the group his "dream team."