Over the past several years, numerous successful high-profile Black men (P. Diddy, R. Kelly, Mel Tucker, DeShaun Watson, and Bill Cosby, to name a few) have found themselves ensnared by accusations of sexual misconduct. Shannon Sharpe, 56, a three-time Super Bowl champion who retired in 2003, appears on ESPN’s “First Take” every Monday and Tuesday, including this Tuesday’s show. He also hosts “Club Shay Shay” and operates a wider podcast network, which he said is worth millions of dollars.
Sharpe is amongst a cadre of African American men who have made a successful pivot over the past twenty years, from professional athletes to media personalities. This pivot has silenced critics who argue that former athletes attempting to make a foray into media are simply dilettantes who cannot relinquish the limelight after their playing careers end. Sharpe, for instance, received rave reviews regarding his eloquence, decorum, and ability to seamlessly transition from discussing sporting news, politics, and racial issues in America, leading him to be known as Unc in Black media spaces affectionately.
However, Sharpe has found himself in a maelstrom of social media over the last six months, starting with the repugnant Instagram live sex stream (some argue Shapre intentionally went live to quell talk regarding his alleged homosexuality) and the accusation of engaging in a sexually, physically, and emotionally abusive relationship with a woman who is allegedly 30 years his junior.
Now, Sharpe’s “second career” is likely in jeopardy due to Sharpe’s his cretin-like predatory behavior (Jane Doe is allegedly between 19 and 21 years of age) rather than the imbroglio he has been accused of. Sharpe’s quagmire, largely of his own making, may cost him millions. Yet, to truly understand this situation, we must consider the historical implications of race, gender, and sex to appreciate the social, political, and cultural ramifications of such a quandary.
For instance, Black men have had their image maligned since they were forced to disembark on America’s shores over 400 years ago. Notions of incontrovertible and congenital pathological Black male behavior are arguably one of the foundational myths of American folklore. This myth is rooted in time-resistant half-truths and lies ensconced during the Arab and European conquest of Africa, nurtured during the Holocaust of Enslavement in the Americas, and artfully refined during the Nadir of Jim Crow segregation.
One would presume that Sharpe, who is a Black man from the deep south and a paterfamilias who waxed poetically regarding the ubiquitous nature of anti-Blackness for seven years on the sports talk show Undisputed, would be intelligent enough not to put himself in such a conundrum. As Sharpe, based on his political soliloquies, should know that America has a long and virulent history of falsely accusing Black men of sexually assaulting, harassing, and abusing white women (think Rosewood, Florida 1923, Susan Smith, and Carolyn Bryant, to name a few) and the dire consequences accompanying such accusations.
For example, the film Birth of a Nation (1915) received rave reviews from white audiences, in part for its depiction of Black political leadership during the Reconstruction Era (1865–1877) and the portrayal of Black men as vile, beast-like, immature creatures seeking to defile and desecrate the idyllic purity of white women. This movie, coupled with previous and subsequent social-political policy, contributed to what Dr. Rayford Logan called the Nadir of race relations (the Nadir of race relations was a period in post-reconstruction America in which anti-Black racism was more open and pronounced than it had ever been during any other period in the nation’s history), in his seminal text The Betrayal of the Negro: From Rutherford B. Hayes to Woodrow Wilson (1965). It was a time when white vigilantism and extrajudicial violence against Black people, particularly Black men, was so common that ads were put in newspapers to promote public gatherings of prospective lynchings.
However, this latest recrimination may be the end of him as he is alleged to have not only raped the victim but has also threatened to choke her during a recorded telephone conversation.
These accusations beg the question: Why would Sharpe engage in a relationship with a capricious and seemingly recalcitrant young woman? What do we make of the allegation that he was initially willing to settle with Jane Doe for $10 million? Furthermore, is there a racial lens to the social anathema regarding Sharpe and the alleged victim’s age difference? Why the protestations when Black men date much younger women and not white men, such as Hugh Hefner, Joaquin Phoenix, and Leonardo DiCaprio, to name a few? Are we falling for the Black Boogie Man Con?
On an episode of Club Shay Shay, Oscar-winning aunty Monique told Sharpe he should date older women rather than ladies half his age. Unc should have listened.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Dr. Bakari K. Lumumba's work on Medium.