When former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe was announced as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he made history. Sharpe and his brother, Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, became the first pair of brothers to be enshrined in Canton.
Even better, Sterling’s yournger brother was the one who got to break the news to him 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 seemed completely unaware of why his brother was there.
“Welcome bro,” Shannon said, to which Sterling replied, “To your house?” Shannon then revealed that he was welcoming his brother to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The two brothers were both emotional throughout the exchange; Sterling was nearly speechless.
“This is something I…” Sterling said, before trailing off. “Oh wow. I need a seat and a drink.”
Shannon took the time to tell Sterling how proud he was of his brother. “To have this moment, and I’ve had some great moments in my professional life, this is the proudest moment in my life,” Shannon said.
Sterling said that he felt that same pride when Shannon became a Hall of Famer, where he was part of the Class of 2011.
“I felt like that when you went in, and, you know I’m not a crier, but when you said that you were in and that weekend in Canton, man, ain’t nothing topping that,” Sterling said, to which Shannon replied, “This tops it.”
Shannon, who is three years younger than Sterling, pointed out that his older brother had blazed his path. Sterling attended South Carolina, and was drafted seventh overall in 1988 by the Packers, where he played for seven seasons before his career was cut short due to a neck injury.
“The difference is, you had to do this uncharted. There was nobody to tell you what to do, how to do it. You had the hardest job,” Shannon said. “And because you didn’t have a guide, you didn’t have Google, you didn’t have MapQuest, you had to do it on your own. And you had to do it and be perfect because I was watching.”
“I’m happy, man, ’cause I finally get to follow you with something,” Sterling said.
During Thursday’s NFL Honors ceremony, Shannon introduced Sterling with a speech where he called his brother his “hero.”
“You taught me everything I know about sports, and a lot about life,” Shannon said in the speech. “I never once lived in your shadow. I embraced it.”
Along with Sterling Sharpe, the Hall of Fame honored three other members of the Class of 2025: tight end Antonio Gates, defensive end Jared Allen and cornerback Eric Allen.
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