Ray Lewis and Shannon Sharpe were teammates with the Baltimore Ravens for just two seasons, but that was enough time for both men to gain a deep understanding of one another.

That’s what gave Sharpe the ability to offer an impassioned defense of the embattled star linebacker in 2011 as he was dealing with legal issues.

However, that’s also what gave Lewis the ability to critique Sharpe over the way he’s apparently changed since his playing days.

Lewis was a guest on a recent episode of The PBD Podcast, hosted by Patrick Bet-David. While the episode in question appears to have been deleted from the podcast feed (presumably it was initially the August 21 episode, recorded two days prior), a clip from the show has since gone viral. It’s unclear whether the podcast episode was deleted due to these comments or for another reason.

Ray Lewis says fame changed Shannon Sharpe

“I’m shocked at his content… We went our separate ways. You’re gonna take that route? I can’t go that route!”

(🎥: Valuetainment/YouTube)pic.twitter.com/B8fDZxq4vT

— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 30, 2025

“I’m not surprised,” Lewis says regarding Sharpe’s podcasting and TV success (transcript via PFT). “I’m shocked at his content… I kind of started to watch him, and then we kind of went our own separate ways, because I’m like, ‘You’re gonna take that route? I can’t go that route. Never can go that route.’”

As for the “route” in question, Lewis sees a discrepancy with the teammate he played with and the way Sharpe handles himself today.

“That route is to become so worldly that you’ve become popular because you’re talking about ignorance,” Lewis said. “A lot of times a lot of these gossip conversations that they’re having and bringing up all this stuff, I’m not gonna do that to nobody. I’m not in the business for that. I’m in life to try to teach people what does it mean to be a better man or give back to the kingdom.

“And a lot of times, like, and a lot of guys get in trouble with these podcasts and things, man, because everybody wants the follower. Everybody wants to be popular. Everybody wants to make money. But that’s a tightrope into what you call influence and popularity. The devil has the ability to make you popular. God has the ability to give you influence that when people see you, they see an image of him.

“And that’s the thing for me that started to switch with not just Shannon, but just a couple of people. I’m like, ‘Wow, you will switch out like that? Really?’ And I would never, ever. Why? Because of the respect that I have for my mother, my daughters, my granddaughters, life, period.

“I think men, given these new platforms, we’ve overrode what the platform is actually for. The platform is supposed to help somebody find a new direction. We don’t help. Everybody’s just gets on. Like everybody’s talking now. Everybody got a podcast. Everybody is the new marriage coach. Everybody’s the new relationship coach. And ain’t nobody coaching themselves, because if you were coaching your yourself, when it says, ‘Power of life and death is found in the tongue,’ then go back and check out a couple of your episodes and ask yourself, ‘Do you give life, or do you give death?’ And that’s why me personally, yeah, I kind of do my own thing, Stay in my own lane.”

While Sharpe has risen the sports media ladder in a hurry over the last few years, he’d had his fair share of controversies as well. Last year, he accidentally livestreamed a sexual encounter over Instagram. He recently settled a $50 million lawsuit, accusing the 57-year-old of “assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery” when she was 19. In the wake of that lawsuit, he and ESPN parted ways, ending his ascent as one of their rising stars.

Sharpe still has a successful podcast company and a massive following. Still, Lewis’s sharp critiques might warrant a response from the Nightcap host, especially considering he’s not usually one to remain tight-lipped.