Sterling Sharpe honors his brother, Shannon, in memorable Hall of Fame speech

If Sterling Sharpe had played more than seven NFL seasons, he likely would have been in the Hall of Fame long ago. Sharpe finally got his due Saturday, 31 years after he played his final game for the Packers.

“God has smiled on me,” Sharpe said. “Every time I speak publicly, every time I get out of bed, every time I go to bed, I say this: This is my life. There are many lives here, but this one is mine. There’s a lot reasons why these great players are able to sit and wear this gold jacket that I have. Some of them it’s blood. Some of them it’s sweat. Jared [Allen] said fear. I stand before you today as the 382nd member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame because of love. You see, you have to learn to follow before you can lead.”

Sharpe finished his career with 595 catches, 8,312 yards and 65 touchdowns. Only Jerry Rice had more catches (620) and receiving touchdowns (91) than Sharpe in that span, and he was a triple-crown receiver by leading the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 1992.

Sharpe’s long wait happened because of his short career. His career ended prematurely when a neck injury late in the 1994 season required fusion surgery on his C1 and C2 vertebrae. Sharpe played all possible 112 regular-season games in his seven seasons.

Sharpe was in his 26th year of eligibility when the seniors committee put him on the ballot, and the entire selection committee voted him in with Allen, Eric Allen and Antonio Gates in the Class of 2025. Sharpe and his presenter, Shannon, made history Saturday when they became the first brothers in Canton.

Sharpe spent much of his 11-minute, 35-second speech honoring his brother.

“The only reason I’m standing here, the only reason I told all those stories, everything I did athletically, everything I did for an audience of one,” Sharpe said. “I didn’t care what was written, said, thought, talked about, prayed about. Everything I did was for an audience of one. You see when you grow up in rural south Georgia, it’s hard to find heroes, and I didn’t want this person of mine to look outside our own dinner table to find a role model.

“As one half of the first brothers selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, you’ve got to come up here and stand next to me, my man.”

Shannon left his seat on stage to join Sterling at the podium, and Sterling finished his speech arm-in-arm with Shannon.

“It’s so wonderful to be able to experience love and appreciation from my family,” Sterling Sharpe said. “This is why I played football. This is why I got out of bed. It wasn’t work. It was because of this right here.”

Shannon Sharpe, 57, gave his older brother his first Super Bowl ring immediately after he won it in 1997, not knowing he’d win another in 1998. Sterling Sharpe, 60, still wears it and called it “the most precious gift I’ve ever received.”

“I wear this ring because of love,” Sterling Sharpe said.

At his induction ceremony in 2011, Shannon Sharpe said, “I’m in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and I’m the only Hall of Famer who can say this: I’m the second-best player in my own family.”

“I agree with that statement,” Sterling Sharpe said Saturday, “but it would be my extreme pleasure for you to be the only player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with two gold jackets. See, you have to learn to follow before you can lead.”

Sterling Sharpe then took off his gold jacket and handed it to Shannon, who was wearing his. It was his version of a mic drop.

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