On Wednesday, news broke that ESPN had severed ties with Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe wishes it had stayed under wraps for five more days.

Via Andrew Battifarano of the New York Post, Sharpe addressed the situation on the latest episode of his Nightcap podcast.

“I found out this information a little earlier in the week, and really the only thing that I really asked is, ‘Guys, could we wait until Monday? My brother’s going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I really want it to be about him and I want it to be about my family,” Sharpe said. “I said, ‘This coming out will overshadow everything he’s worked his entire life for.’ And, unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.”

It means that the leak more likely came from ESPN’s side of the equation.

“I really enjoyed my time at ESPN, they gave me an opportunity to bring my audience that saw me really just grow,” Sharpe added. “They did what they felt they needed to do. I’m at peace with that. I just wish this thing could’ve waited until Monday because I hate the fact that I am overshadowing my brother. First two brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and this is what the headline is going to be for the next couple of days.”

Maybe it will fade. We tend to have goldfish brains when it comes to the non-stop flow of news and information. Tonight, the NFL returns. By Saturday, the fact that Shannon is out at ESPN will fade into the same general background noise coming from the sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in April, and its more recent settlement.

Shannon Sharpe stepped away from his ESPN work days after the complaint was filed. At the time, he expressed an intention to return when the NFL preseason commences.

Sterling Sharpe gets his call to Canton after playing only seven NFL seasons. Despite having his career cut short due to injury, he did enough to finally earn a spot with his brother and the other all-time greats.