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Shannon Sharpe speaks onstage during the RenderATL Tech Conference 2024 at AmericasMart Atlanta on June 14, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Shannon Sharpe admits it was him in the controversial Instagram live video, in which viewers could hear what appeared to be a sex act.

Earlier on September 11, the NFL legend’s Instagram page, @shannonsharpe84, went live, where followers could hear unsafe-for-work noises in the background. The video did not show anyone in the video, but the “Club Shay Shay” host confirmed that he participated in the sex act.

“I was a healthy, active guy,” Sharpe said on an episode of “Nightcap,” a podcast he co-hosts with Chad Johnson, aka Ochocinco.

Sharpe added that he was “extremely embarrassed” by the accidental leak. The admission contradicts what he posted earlier on Wednesday, in which he claimed his Instagram had been hacked.

“I threw my phone on the bed,” said Sharpe, who added that he had no idea he was live streaming on Instagram at the time.

Sharpe said he knew nothing about the incident until someone from his marketing team let him know he was live and that people could hear sex noises.

“My heart sank,” Sharpe said on the Nightcap podcast. “It sank… Then I called my agent, the agency. I called ESPN… I just had to tell them the truth. My phone wasn’t hacked.”

Although the alleged sex video has since been deleted, the NFSW post did not go unnoticed on social media, as the “Club Shay Shay” host has over 3 million followers on Instagram and over 2 million followers on X.

Sharpe has made a name for himself as one of the most recognizable sports analysts. His podcast “Club Shay Shay” has more than 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube, and the NFL legend has previously appeared on-screen as a guest on ESPN, FOX Sports and CBS Sports.

As a player, Sharpe was named a Pro Bowler eight times, an All-Pro four times, and won the Super Bowl championship ring three times (twice with the Denver Broncos and once with the Baltimore Ravens) before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.