Shannon Sharpe Shannon Sharpe ( born June 26 , 1968 ) is a former American Football tight end who played for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League ( NFL ) and is now a commentator for CBS Sports on its NFL telecasts . He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame , and inducted on August 6 , 2011 . Sharpe played 12 seasons for the Broncos ( 1990 – 99 , 2002 – 03 ) and two years with the Ravens ( 2000 – 01 ) , winning three Super Bowls and finishing his career as the NFL ’ s all - time leader in receptions ( 815 ) , receiving yards ( 10 , 060 ) and receiving touchdowns ( 62 ) by a tight end until Tony Gonzalez surpassed all three of these records , including breaking his total yardage record on October 5 , 2008 . Sharpe holds the distinction of being the first tight end ever to amass over 10 , 000 receiving yards . Shannon was also named a member of the NFL ' s first team All - Decade team of the 1990s . Early life . Shannon , the younger brother of former NFL star wide receiver Sterling Sharpe , grew up poor in Glennville , Georgia . He once joked , " We were so poor , a robber once broke into our house and we ended up robbing the robber . " Sharpe graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Savannah State College ( since 1996 Savannah State University ) . He commented : " I was a terrible student . I didn ' t graduate magna cum laude , I graduated ' Thank you , Lawdy ! ' " At Savannah State he played football and basketball and competed in the triple jump in track and field . Sharpe was a three - time All - Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection from 1987 to 1989 and the SIAC Player of the Year in 1987 . He was also selected as a Kodak Division II All - American in 1989 . He led the Tigers ' football team to their best records in the program ' s history : 7 - 3 in 1988 and 8 - 1 in 1989 . Shannon Sharpe was nickname d " The Shapeshifter " in his early years for his abilities to shape his body to any form to catch any ball . NFL career . Sharpe was drafted in the 7th round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos , 192nd overall . He remained with Denver until 1999 , winning two championship rings in Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII in the process . After the 1997 season championship , his first , he appeared on General Mills ' Wheaties boxes with four other Broncos . After a two - year stint with the Baltimore Ravens , where he won another championship ring in Super Bowl XXXV , he returned to the Broncos . He played there until 2003 . Then he retired to become an NFL broadcaster for CBS , where his brother Sterling also works as an analyst . Career statistics . Ozzie Newsome , Hall - of - Fame tight end , Ravens ' general manager , and the man responsible for signing Sharpe before the 2000 season had this to say about him : " I think he ' s a threat when he ' s on the field . He has to be double - teamed . He ' s a great route - runner . He ' s proven that he can make the big plays . That ' s what separates him . He ' s a threat . " Sharpe was selected All - Pro 4 times , played in eight Pro Bowl s ( 1992 – 1998 , 2001 ) and amassed over 1 , 000 receiving yards in three different seasons . In a 1993 playoff game against the Los Angeles Raiders , Sharpe tied a postseason record with 13 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown . In the Ravens 2000 AFC title game against the Raiders , he caught a short pass on 3rd down and 18 from his own four - yard line and took it 96 yards for a touchdown , assisting his team to a 16 - 3 win . Sharpe also caught a 50 + yard pass in each of their other two playoff games . He finished his 14 year career with 815 receptions for 10 , 060 yards and 69 touchdowns in 203 games . Post - playing career . Sharpe is a commentator for the CBS Sports pregame show " The NFL Today " , including the " Sprint Halftime Report " and the " Subway Postgame Show " , replacing Deion Sanders and co - hosting with James Brown ( formerly with " Fox NFL Sunday " ) , former NFL quarterback s Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason as well as former coach Bill Cowher . In the 2004 NFL regular season , Sharpe defeated Marino and Esiason in the pick ' em game of " The NFL Today " with a 53 - 21 record . His critics say that his broadcasting skills are hurt by his poor grammar and enunciation of words ( Sharpe has a very noticeable lisp and drawl ) . A satirical article on The Onion joked " CBS Producers Ask Shannon Sharpe To Use At Least 3 Real Words Per Sentence . " Sharpe also appeared on SIRIUS NFL Radio ' s " Opening Drive " on Friday mornings , but is no longer affiliated with the channel . Sharpe now resides in Atlanta . He cited his hobbies as fishing , weight lifting , and spending time with his longtime girlfriend Katy Kellner and their Akita , Sampson and two pomeranians Tazz and Tarzan . He also played in the 2005 World Series of Poker . Shannon and Katy have teamed up with ViSalus Sciences to take the 90 challenge with Body By Vi . http : / / katyshannon . myvi . net Sharpe was among the 17 finalists being considered for enshrinement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009 . However , he was passed over in his first year in a class that included Bruce Smith , Ralph Wilson , Derrick Thomas and Rod Woodson . On October 23 , 2009 , the NCAA Division II Football Hall of Fame announced that Sharpe would be inducted in December of that year . In addition , Savannah State University also retired Sharpe ' s No . 2 jersey . On November 28 , 2010 , Sharpe was nominated as semi - finalist for induction into the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame , along with Art Modell and 24 others , among them Jerome Bettis , Roger Craig , Marshall Faulk , and Deion Sanders . Subsequently , on February 6 , 2011 , Shannon Sharpe was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Sharpe will be escorted to the Hall of Fame ceremony by Canton native Haley Smith , continuing the tradition of pageant winners escorting the inductees . He also appeared on the " American Dad ! " episode " The Scarlett Getter " , portraying himself . Personal life . In September of 2010 a temporary restraining order was placed against Sharpe by Michele Bundy ; with whom he shares a child . Bundy accused Sharpe of forced sex , death threats and stalking . Atlanta court documents cite Sharpe in 10 separate cases involving Sharpe and his former partners . Including an August 2004 Simple Battery charge that was dismissed .