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**TITLE:** Shannon Sharpe's Nightmare Experiences Lead to Lifelong Rule

**SAPO:** NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe recounts two terrifying incidents that inspired him to avoid sleeping at women's houses.

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Shannon Sharpe, the legendary Pro Football Hall of Famer, has revealed why he has maintained a strict policy against spending the night at women's houses for over three decades. In a recent interview on the "Funky Friday" podcast, Sharpe shared two harrowing experiences that convinced him to adopt this rule.

After the Denver Broncos selected Sharpe in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft, he returned to Georgia and found himself in Georgia late at night. Not wanting to disturb his grandmother, he asked a woman if he could sleep over. However, things took an unexpected turn.

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"Something told me to keep my clothes on," Sharpe recalls. "So, I got on shorts and a T-shirt. Man, have you ever had sleep paralysis? You can hear things, but you can't move... I can hear, and it's getting louder, it's getting louder, and they're arguing. So, by this time – boom! The door flies off the hinges. ... So, I'm jumping up like, 'Hey what's up, boy, what's it about to be?' I said, 'Oh lord, he's got some bodies on his resume.'"

To Sharpe's surprise, the man who entered the room was a huge fan and admired his play on the field. However, he had issues with the woman they were both involved with.

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"I'm tired of this 'B' lying," the man exclaimed. "I'm saying to myself, 'Me, too.' Cam, man, I put my shoes on and booked it out of there."

In 1993, Sharpe returned to Savannah State during the Broncos' bye week. He arranged to meet a woman while in town.

"I set my stuff down," Sharpe says. "And I'm looking at the door handle, it's turning. ... Dude come in. He got that [AK-47]. Oh lord, have mercy. I said, 'Lord.' And he look at me, and he said, 'My man.' I said, 'Yeah.' He's about to ask me if I'm Sharpe. I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'I thought so.' I said, 'My man, is this your people?' He said, 'Yeah. Two years.'"

Sharpe realized that he had unwittingly gotten involved with a woman who was involved with a dangerous man. He quickly explained his situation to the man, who let him go.

"I said, 'My man, I ain't know.' I said, 'You know who I am now.' I said, 'Man, my bad. You saved me.' Because if I had not been [interrupted], I ain't telling this story right now."

After these harrowing experiences, Sharpe made a conscious decision to never spend the night at a woman's house again.

"I have not closed my eyes at another woman's house in 31 years," he says.

Sharpe's rule has served him well throughout his distinguished career. He won three Super Bowls with the Broncos and eight Pro Bowl selections.