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Shannon Sharpe rips Antonio Gates over PED suspension

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer
(AP)
(AP)

You don't often hear a former NFL great rip into a current star in the league, but Shannon Sharpe has never held back on his opinions.

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Sharpe, the Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end, lit into a player many expect to join him in Canton: San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates. Gates is one of the all-time greats, with 10,014 yards and 99 touchdown catches, but he missed the first four games of this season with a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Gates said at the time the suspension was announced that he tested positive due to supplements and holistic medicines.

Sharpe had a lot to say about Gates on Sirius XM Radio, and the San Diego Union-Tribune reported what he said:

"If Antonio Gates believes in his heart of hearts that I care whether or not he breaks the records that I once had, that Tony [Gonzalez] now has, [or] he ends his career with more catches, more yards, more touchdowns, more rings, if he honestly believes that, I feel bad for him," Sharpe said. "You see, I didn’t tarnish his name. I didn’t put the stain on his resume. He did that."

The Union-Tribune said Sharpe talked about Gates for nine minutes.

"Antonio Gates, your anger, your frustration is pointed in the wrong direction," Sharpe said. "When you walk by the mirror, take a peek to your right or your left. That’s the guy you should be upset with, not me. We played the same position. We played it at a very high level. But you tried to take a shortcut somewhere along the way and I never did. And that’s not my fault, that’s yours."

The Union-Tribune also reported that Sharpe said about Gates, "Maybe it was the first time," which is a damning statement without coming out and saying that Sharpe suspects Gates has had help during his career.

According to the Union-Tribune, Gates said he and Sharpe have joked about who is better.

"I guess if he can find a way to tarnish some things, I’m quite sure he probably would," Sharpe said.

That led Sharpe to his rant on Friday. If Gates does make the Hall of Fame someday, those interactions with Sharpe in Canton might be a little uncomfortable.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!