One of the First Take viewers described his absence as a “criminal” decision on the day of the long-awaited NFL season kick-off.
“No @ShannonSharpe on NFL opening day is CRIMINAL!!!!! @FirstTake @espn,” the viewer posted on X.
That is not to say fans didn’t enjoy McCourty’s presence.
Viewers gave the former NFL cornerback’s rave reviews for his First Take debut.
The show’s cast was excited to welcome the Super Bowl LIII winner to the ESPN family, too.
“We’re so lucky to have you,” Qerim told McCourty.
“It’s so good you’re with us, we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
McCourty, 37, then received a round of applause from Smith and Orlovsky.
The former Tennessee Titans star ventured into sports broadcast shortly after retiring from the NFL in 2022.
He joined NFL Network’s Good Morning Football before starting to make CBS appearances on college football telecasts for CBS.
McCourty left GMFB over the summer after the show switched filming locations from New York City to Los Angeles.
He later told Jimmy Traina of SI Media that he wasn’t ready to move to the West Coast with a young family.
Shannon Sharpe's playing career
Shannon Sharpe was a three-time Super Bowl champion before his heavyweight media career.
The former tight end played in the NFL from 1990 until 2003 – mostly with the Denver Broncos.
He was part of the Super Bowl championship teams in 1998 and 1999 as well as the Baltimore Ravens’ title-winning team in 2001.
Sharpe was an eight-time Pro Bowler and voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He finished with 10,060 career receiving yards from 815 receptions with 62 touchdowns.
The ex-NFL star has had just as strong a career on television screens since retiring.
“Beyond selfish ambition within the industry to continue my career, I couldn’t come up with one good reason to move my wife and three kids out of New Jersey,” McCourty said.
“Quality of life, it wouldn’t feel like as a husband and as a father, not just a cohost on a show, how I was going to keep all those plates spinning at the same time, was also going to be a challenge.”
McCourty added, “The one realization I’ve had is everybody is replaceable.
“We all like to think of ourselves in this very unique way and how special we are and how talented we are.”
McCourty had a busy day in the office on Thursday.
Before his First Take debut, he made an appearance on Get Up earlier in the morning.
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