Shannon Sharpe Vowed to Be a Better Father to His Three Kids Post-NFL

To say Shannon Sharpe has a successful career would be an understatement. The three-time Super Bowl champion, NFL Hall of Famer, NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team member, ESPN talking head, and podcast host seems to make headlines almost every month.

This has fans wondering about his family life.

Shannon has never wed (he was engaged to fitness trainer Katy Kellner in 2016 but that broke off and she married Luis Castillo in 2021) but is the proud father of three, two daughters and one son, all of whom have names that begin with the letter K: Kayla, Kaley, and Kiari.

Shannon’s oldest child is Kayla Sharpe, born in 1992. She studied pre-law at Georgia Southern University. Though the TV personality doesn’t often share pictures of his children, he did wish her a happy birthday on Instagram on October 15, 2020. For Father’s Day 2022, Kayla shared how Shannon taught Kayla how to drive and how to do her own hair before she began college.

On July 29, 2023, the two attended the Errol Spence Jr vs. Terence Crawford fight together.

Kayla’s mother’s identity has not been made public.

Less is known about Shannon’s other daughter, Kaley. Also born in 1992, Kaley does not appear on Shannon’s X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram feeds. According to the Denver Post she attended Florida State University to become a medical examiner.

Sportskeeda claims she obtained a medical degree from Indiana University in 2022. Like Kayla, her mother’s identity has also been kept private.

Shannon’s only son, Kiari Sharpe, was also born in 1992 when Shannon was playing for the Denver Broncos. Kiari studied biology and business management studies at Georgia Southern and graduated in 2014.

Proud father Shannon shared a nice family photo of Kiari, himself, and Kiari’s mom Erika Evans on Kiara’s graduation day. In 2022 Kiari shared on Twitter with the Pro Football Hall of Fame the satisfaction he took from finally beating his father in Uno and Monopoly.

The relationships between Shannon and his children appear to be better than they were when he was a player. In his now iconic 2011 Hall of Fame speech, Shannon said,

"I didn't want my kids to live one hour in the life that I had, let alone a day. I missed recitals and graduations because I was so obsessed with being the best player I could possibly be. I ruined a lot of relationships. I'm not here to apologize. It got them to a life they never would've enjoyed had it not been for that."

He echoed that sentiment in a January 30, 2023, episode of Club Shay Shay.

“I’ll be the first to admit I was a terrible parent," he said. "It drove me crazy because all I thought about was football, how can I get better.”

It looks like he is doing just that.