Fox Sports considering LeSean McCoy, Nick Wright to replace Shannon Sharpe

Fox Sports could be looking internally to replace Shannon Sharpe as Skip Bayless' co-host on "Undisputed."

LeSean McCoy, the former NFL running back, has emerged as a candidate to fill Sharpe's seat, according to Michael McCarthy at Front Office Sports. McCoy is currently part of "Speak" (formerly "Speak for Yourself) with Emmanuel Acho and Joy Taylor, and the show has generally been focused on the NFL. "Undisputed" broaches more sports, but predominantly spends its time on the NFL and NBA.

Nick Wright, who co-hosts "First Things First" with Chris Broussard, is also a candidate, per McCarthy's retweet of a NBACentral tweet.

McCoy would be an interesting choice for several reasons. For starters, moving him to FS1's number one talk show may not cost much. McCarthy points out that Bayless made double the salary ($8 million) of Sharpe ($4 million). Sharpe had more media experience coming into "Undisputed" than McCoy when he joined FS1, which likely played a role in his salary.

The man called "Shady" also hasn't had to work with someone like Bayless, who built a combative brand as a reporter years before making the full-time move into television. (Although Bayless was not a favorite of this Hall of Fame quarterback.) Most former athletes who join the media make the move so that they can argue every day, especially with a non-athlete who debates for sport. It remains to be seen if he has the fortitude, let alone personality, to contend with Bayless in the same way that Sharpe or Stephen A. Smith, Bayless' former foil and professional provocateur at ESPN, did.

The other reason for McCoy's candidacy was previously said here last week. Bayless is keenly aware of the demographic makeup his show needs in order to succeed. In his article, McCarthy notes:

Then there’s the diversity and equity issue. It would be difficult for Fox to hire another white male to debate Bayless. With its “barbershop”-style format, “Undisputed” is popular in the Black community. 

The new hire will likely be a person of color, a woman, or both. Especially if they are famous former NFL and NBA/WNBA athletes: the two sports that “Undisputed” likes to debate the most.

Sharpe will leave "Undisputed" after the end of the NBA Finals, which can as early as June 12 but will absolutely be completed by the potential Game 7 on June 18. In the weeks and months after his departure, fans of the show (and debate shows overall) may discover what one of Bayless' former colleagues has thought all along about the soon-to-be expired relationship.