DENVER — Friday morning, former Denver Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe was introduced as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

Shannon Sharpe. Baltimore Ravens. It doesn't have that ring to it.

	Shannon Sharpe left Denver for a four-year, $14 million deal in Baltimore.

"All of this is so overwhelming that I can't believe that it's happening," Sharpe told the Rocky Mountain News on Thursday from his home in Atlanta. "I didn't sleep at all (Wednesday) night. I saw my name flash across the sports ticker, saw people talking about me on television, but I still don't believe it.

"It is so hard for me to fathom that I'm not going to finish my career in Denver."

Sharpe's final season with the Broncos started in silence and ended in injury. The silence began after Denver's trip to Australia. Sharpe encountered what he perceived to be rude behavior by Australians, and spoke his mind. Then he took flak from fans and the media for his comments.

"It wasn't beneficial to me to talk to the media because so many things I had said had been misconstrued — especially in Australia," Sharpe said. "The fans have to understand that, just because you go somewhere, that doesn't mean you have to like it.

"I felt a lot of things could have been handled differently. Granted, maybe I shouldn't have said some of the things I said. But I said what everybody else wanted to say but didn't. This is who I am.

"After I heard all the criticism from the media and fans, I felt it was best that I didn't talk anymore. And there were some things that came from the organization. I'm not saying that you have to back what I say, but don't go on the other side and criticize what I say. Just say, `That's Shannon being Shannon,' and leave it at that."

Sharpe said he never received a contract offer from the Broncos during the 1999 season. The fact that he was allowed to become a free agent has made him a richer man today, but it also hurt Sharpe's feelings. The Broncos' final offer on Wednesday wasn't enough to soothe those feelings.

"Both Shannon and I talked to Mike Shanahan (on Wednesday)," Sharpe's agent, Marvin Demoff said. "I think Mike was caught in an interesting dilemma. He wanted Shannon if it could be worked out. Mike just couldn't give the extra mile. Even with Shannon taking less money (to stay in Denver), the Broncos couldn't get there.

"Mike said, 'I'd give you more if I could.' "

Sharpe said he understands the Broncos' position.

"But I was hoping it didn't get to that," he said. "I never knew, getting what I got from Baltimore (a four-year, $14 million deal that includes a $4.5 million bonus), and knowing what the Broncos offered me (a package believed to average $2.5 million a season), maybe at the beginning of the season I take that (from Denver).

"I look at it like this — when you want somebody, you take the proper steps. When (Shanahan) no longer felt I presented the best opportunity to win games, but just a decent opportunity that he could get by with the guys behind me to save a couple of million dollars, you have to realize it's a business decision. You can't blame him for doing that."

Leaving Denver, Sharpe said, is the hardest part of going to a new team.

"You don't spend 10 years without getting attached," he said. "This was a very difficult situation I was placed in. And I can honestly say, I cried. Maybe after 10 years I took the Broncos for granted. Maybe they took me for granted. I'll never know their thought process.

"All I know is how I felt."