According to reports, sports commentator Skip Bayless, known most for his anti-LeBron James posture, inked a massive $32 million deal to remain at FS1. Despite staying with FS1, reports have surfaced that ESPN tried getting Bayless back to reunite him with Stephen A. Smith.
Back in August, ESPN offered Bayless a four-year deal worth somewhere around $30 million. ESPN proposed a plan for Skip and Stephen A. to bolster the offerings of the network's new subscription platform, ESPN+. At one point, executives from Disney (ESPN's parent company) and Fox (FS1's parent company) tossed around the idea of having Bayless appear on both ESPN+ and FS1. According to the New York Post, "ESPN executives broached the idea of having Bayless stay on FS1 in the mornings, debating on “Undisputed” with Sharpe, while Smith continued on ESPN’s “First Take” in the mornings with Max Kellerman."
Although ESPN failed to bring the two back together on-screen, Bayless assured everyone that he and Stephen A. remain close friends. “Stephen A. Smith is even more of a brother to me than my real brother,” Bayless told the New York Post. “I love the man, as you know, on and off the air. Since I left ‘First Take’ for ‘Undisputed’ back in June of 2016, Stephen A. and I have remained in close touch.”
Source: sports.yahoo.com
