Shannon Sharpe Admits Fabricating Hack Story After Intimate Instagram Live Incident

I t only took a very brief intimate moment being inadvertently broadcast on his Instagram Live-a man and woman, of course-to have Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe cave in and finally admit his mistake.

The incident happened on Wednesday, when Sharpe's 3.2 million Instagram followers were treated to the sound of a woman moaning during a live session that popped up on his account. While Sharpe himself wasn't visible in the clip, the livestream was quickly wiped from existence, and Sharpe initially blamed hackers. "Warning, my @shannonsharpe84 Instagram was hacked this morning," Sharpe wrote in a now-deleted post, adding his team was working to rectify the situation.

But then, in an emergency episode of his podcast Nightcap later the same day, Sharpe cleared the air and admitted it was all actually a mistake on his part. He explained that he had thrown his phone onto the bed and it had gone onto Instagram Live when he was having a private moment. "Of course, I am embarrassed," Sharpe said. "As a person who is very private, to have one of your most intimate moments-even just the audio-out there for the world to hear-is something I'm deeply embarrassed about."

Sharpe had emphasized his disappointment, not in the act itself but in allowing that moment to go public. "Millions of consenting adults engage in intimate activities, but for the audio to be broadcast to the world — that's where I let people down," he said. "I've always tried to maintain professionalism, even behind closed doors, and in this case, I failed."

Discussing further, Sharpe explains that his lack of knowledge of Instagram Live is why this occurred. "I flung my phone on the bed, and I had no idea IG Live could get activated. I've never even used it. All of a sudden, my other phone was blowing up," Sharpe said, explaining that, "This wasn't some hack or prank-it was just me being a healthy, active male."

Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, Sharpe's buddy and his podcast co-host, teasingly reminded him of times when he "butt dialed" him. Sharpe also admits he's not "tech savvy," but there is no hint that Johnson is similarly disagreeable. "I don't understand. I never thought you, Unc, would be involved in something like this," Johnson said. "It's unprofessional, and it's so out of character. I'm not mad-just disappointed. You hold yourself to a higher standard, and now this happens-it's really thrown me for a loop."

After the whole mishap went public, Sharpe came out forthwith candid and contrite, offering an apology in hopes of setting the record straight to regain the trust of his fans and peers alike.