Stephen A. Smith is publicly campaigning for Shannon Sharpe to return to First Take . During a recent appearance on the Out the Mud podcast , the ESPN star made it clear that he wants the Hall of Fame tight end back on the network’s flagship debate show, nearly a year after Sharpe’s departure from ESPN. “He was great for me. He was great to me,” Smith said. “He was great for the show.” Sharpe originally joined ESPN in 2023 after his six-year run alongside Bayless on FS1’s Undisputed came to an end following a highly publicized breakdown in their working relationship. Once paired with Smith on First Take , Sharpe quickly became one of the program’s most popular personalities, blending football analysis with humor and viral moments that regularly circulated online. At the same time, Sharpe’s media profile expanded far beyond television.…