When former Green Bay Packers broad recipient Sterling Sharpe was announced as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he wrote history. Sharpe and his brother, Hall of Fame Tight End Shannon Sharpe, were the first few brothers to be anchored in Canton.
Even better, the younger brother of Sterling was the one who received the news in the first place. In a video shared by CBS Sports on social media, Shannon surprised his older brother Sterling with the news that he was part of the class of 2025.
In the video, Sterling did not seem to know why his brother was there.
“Welcome Bro,” said Shannon, to which Sterling answered, “at your house?” Shannon then revealed that he welcomed his brother to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The two brothers were both emotional during the exchange; Sterling was almost speechless.
“This is something that I …” said Sterling before I walked away. “Oh wow. I need a chair and a drink.”
Shannon took the time to tell Sterling how proud he was on his brother. “To have this moment, and I have had a number of great moments in my professional life, this is the proud moment in my life,” said Shannon.
Sterling said he felt the same pride when Shannon became a Hall of Famer; He was part of the 2011 class.
“I felt so when you went inside, and you know I am not a crier, but when you said you were inside and that weekend in Canton, man, is nothing about that,” said Sterling, to which Shannon replied: ” This is at the top. “
Shannon, who is three years younger than Sterling, pointed out that his older brother had taken his path. Sterling went to South Carolina and was prepared in 1988 by the Packers, where he played seven seasons before his career was demolished due to a neck injury.
“The difference is, you had to do this unknown. There was no one to tell you what to do, how to do it. You had the most difficult job,” Shannon said. “And because you didn’t have a guide, you didn’t have Google, you didn’t have a Mapquest, you had to do it yourself. And you had to do it and be perfect because I looked.”
“I am happy, man, because I can finally follow you with something,” said Sterling.
During the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday, Shannon Sterling introduced with a speech in which he called his brother his ‘hero’.
“You have taught me everything I know about sports, and a lot about life,” said Shannon in the speech. “I never lived in your shadow. I embraced it. “
Together with Sterling Sharpe, the Hall of Fame honored three other members of the 2025 class: Tight End of Antonio Gates, Defense End Jared Allen and Cornerback Eric Allen.