Mike Tirico urges NBC to kill Sterling Sharpe’s mic

How much Sterling Sharpe is too much? Mike Tirico attempted to answer the question Thursday night while calling the Hall of Fame Game on NBC.

When Shannon Sharpe learned of ESPN’s decision to part ways with him earlier this week, he was concerned about the risk of taking away from his brother as he enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend. Despite his concern, the spotlight was very much on his brother, Sterling Sharpe, and the entire class entering Canton Thursday night.

Throughout the Hall of Fame Game, sideline reporter Melissa Stark interviewed the inductees. But the interview with Sharpe was extra special considering he was previously colleagues with Stark, Tirico and Cris Collinsworth.

“You’ve always been wonderful to me,” Sharpe told Stark. “I can say the exact same thing about Cris Collinsworth, working with him at NBC. And I love this lady right here. Melissa and I had wonderful years at NFL Network getting up at 5 o’clock in the morning, going in, doing TV. She spent a lot more time in the hair and makeup chair than I did!”

Immediately after hearing Sharpe chide Stark for taking too long to get ready during their time at NFL Network, Tirico was quick to jump in.

“Kill his mic,” Tirico said. “Let’s get back to the game.”

The tenor of Tirico’s comment seemed to be somewhere between flippant and joking. It’s also worth noting it was still the first quarter and NBC had already been with Sharpe for more than five minutes, so it probably was time to start thinking about getting back to the game while there were still some recognizable players on the field.

Don’t let Tirico’s desire to cut Sharpe’s mic fool you on the respect they have for each other. Earlier in the interview, Sharpe thanked Tirico for helping him throughout his media career. While Shannon Sharpe is undoubtedly known for having the more bustling media career, Sterling spent time with ESPN and NFL Network after his incredible playing days were cut short by injuries.