Club Shay Shay: Best of Track World Athletics Championships, Part 1

"Fred Kerley goes OFF on USADA + Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Setting Records"
Release Date: September 20, 2025
Host: Shannon Sharpe
Guest: Fred Kerley (World Champion Sprinter) + Others

Episode Overview

In this special World Athletics Championships edition of Club Shay Shay, Shannon Sharpe welcomes sprint star Fred Kerley for an unfiltered discussion about elite track and field. They delve into Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's earth-shaking 400m record run, American dominance—and struggles—on the world stage, Kerley's explosive USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) frustrations, athlete livelihood, and predictions for upcoming championship races. This episode provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to compete at the highest level—and the off-track controversy that comes with it.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's Historic 400m Campaign

[03:54 – 05:32]

• Sharpe spotlights Sydney's jaw-dropping 47.78 in the 400m, noting women now must run historically fast just to podium.
• Kerley calls her season "crazy" and unprecedented:

  “It's something that I have not done and been done in 39 years, and to have somebody as great as her to accomplish that is amazing.” (04:27)

• Both agree Sydney can go even faster.
• Kerley: “I feel like she can go even below what she did. … She still got a lot more in the tank. That 47 where she ran was a chill mode really.” (05:06)

The Legendary Bobby Kersee and Track History

[05:32 – 06:18]

• Sharpe connects current moments to Bobby Kersee’s legendary coaching tree (Flo-Jo, Gail Devers, Valerie Briscoe-Hooks).
• Hints at potential for Sydney attempting both 400m and 400m hurdles in LA 2028.

Men’s 100/200m at Worlds: Surprises and Analysis

[06:34 – 07:49]

• Sharpe and Kerley break down Oblique Seville's win, Noah Lyles' bronze and disqualification.
• “It's all about peaking at the right moment. … He showed what it was.” (06:54, Kerley)
• Lyles’ focus: “I don't think he was so much concentrated on 100 this year. … He wanted his revenge. The 200 is his baby.” (06:54, Kerley)

Fred Kerley Confronts USADA, Whereabouts, and Athlete Livelihood

[07:54 – 14:54]

The "Whereabouts" System and Personal Toll

• Kerley is under suspension for “whereabouts” violations; he adamantly denies wrongdoing:

  “I'm still contesting. I ain't did nothing wrong, so my people still fighting for all that.” (08:02)

• Explains how athletes must report every move, “basically every quarter you fill out where you're going to be. But the problem with that, you never know what you're going to be. … Life is life.” (10:03)
• On the intrusiveness:

  “It just feel like I'm in prison. … My dad been in prison—he don't got to do half of the shit I'm doing to maintain a paycheck.” (10:19)

• Comparison with football: football players keep contracts through suspensions, but, “Once you get suspended [in track], you get no money.” (11:06, Kerley)

The Financial and Emotional Strain

• Kerley is outspoken about lack of athlete compensation:

  “Equity is everything. Ownership is everything for me. … My whole job is to protect my bloodline.” (08:36, Kerley) “Coaches making more than the athletes. Agents making more. … At the end of the day, it's protecting myself, because they don't care about me.” (13:08, Kerley)

• Sharpe presses on Diamond League pay—Kerley explains it varies and is often meager unless you’re the headline.

USADA, Doping, and Structural Injustices

• Kerley insists he is clean, regularly tested, and the system targets Americans:

  “You can come and test me anytime. But filling this stuff out every minute, it's just like bro. … People popping up at restaurants, airports, to test us.” (25:18, Kerley)
  “It's basically like we in a plantation.” (26:01, Kerley)

• Accuses USADA/WADA of selective enforcement and corruption:

  “You got people that actually on the stuff but never getting caught because they're getting paid off. … They got cases going on right now.” (26:05, Kerley)

• “The OGs back in the day, they messed it up for us. … I don't care about getting tested. The OGs messed it up for us.” (24:25, Kerley)

What’s Next for Kerley?

• Still training despite suspension, hopeful for appeal but focused on “protecting my legacy.” (22:22–22:37)

Hot Takes, Racing Banter & Memorable Trash Talk

[27:25 – 29:49]

• Lively back-and-forth between Kerley, Sharpe, and guest ‘Ocho’ about who can outrun who—full of laughs and track bravado:

  “I blew by your ass. I know that.” (28:30, Track Athlete / Friend)
  “The world need to know that you the biggest cap in the history of sports.” (29:49, Kerley)

Fred's Podium Picks & Race Predictions

[29:59 – 33:07]

• Men’s 200m: “Noah's gonna take it, Tobogo second and Jamaican third.” (30:19, Kerley)
• Senses all top three “look injured” but expects surprises.
• Anticipates a winning time between “19.3 and 19.7” in the 200m final, possibly 19.2. (32:28, Kerley)
• Women’s 200m: “Melissa [Jefferson] gonna win. Sharika probably be on the podium. … The third, I don't know.” (33:15, Kerley)

Championship Recap & The Women’s 400m Historical Context

[37:12 – 48:28]

• Sharpe gives context for McLaughlin-Levrone’s 48.29, highlighting the rarity and speed of women's sub-48 performances:

  “Matarina Coke set the world record of 47.60. There have only been two women that's ever cracked sub 48.” (37:12)

• Breaks down the challenge:

  “You literally … gotta go out in 22 seconds and hold and come home in 25.5. … That is booking.” (39:00 – 41:40)

• Discusses other historic runners (Valerie Briscoe-Hooks, Kathy Freeman, Marie-José Pérec, etc.) and lays out why Sydney’s run is so transformative.
• On the world record's future:

  “If Sid break this world record, that record might be like Bolt. … Three generations before you see somebody break that record.” (42:52, Sharpe)

• Panel discusses the difficulty of sustained excellence and the gap between the greats and contenders.

Additional Highlights & Notable Quotes

Life and Pressure for Elite Track Athletes

• Kerley: “At the end of the day, it's protecting myself, because they don't care about me … Without endorsements, we're not surviving.” (13:29)

On the “Whereabouts” Burden

• “If I go out to eat, I gotta put that address in. Like, right now, I gotta put this address. … People popping up at restaurants to test us.” (25:04–25:59, Kerley)

Track vs. Other Sports

• Kerley and Sharpe banter about baseball and football's guaranteed money and looser testing.
• “You know my speed. I know how to catch … come check me out.” (27:16, Kerley)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 03:54 – 06:18 – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s record-shattering 400m
• 06:34 – 07:49 – Men’s World 100m recap (Oblique Seville, Noah Lyles)
• 07:54 – 15:14 – Kerley vs. USADA: Whereabouts violations and athlete pay
• 22:22 – 22:54 – Kerley’s future plans, suspension impact
• 27:25 – 29:49 – Trash talk, racing banter with ‘Ocho’
• 29:59 – 33:44 – Kerley’s World Champs podium predictions (men’s/women’s sprints)
• 37:12 – 48:28 – Deep-dive: The history and speed of women's 400m sprints

Memorable Moments & Quotes

“It just feel like I’m in prison. My dad been in prison—he don’t gotta do half the shit I’m doing to maintain a paycheck.”
— Fred Kerley, on athlete surveillance (10:19)

“The world need to know that you the biggest cap in the history of sports.”
— Fred Kerley, to Ocho (29:49)

“If Sid break this world record, that record might be like Bolt ... Three generations before you see somebody break that record.”
— Shannon Sharpe on the potential significance of Sydney’s 400m (42:52)

“You can come and test me anytime ... People popping up at restaurants to test us. People popping up at airport to test us.”
— Fred Kerley, on anti-doping rigor (25:18)

Tone & Energy

The conversation is forthright, passionate, and occasionally combative, with Kerley unafraid to challenge track authorities, share the grind of elite running, and trash talk fellow competitors and athletes. Sharpe’s deep knowledge and reverence for track history add gravity. Banter with ‘Ocho’ and guest friends provide humor and inside perspective on athletic rivalry.

— End of summary. This episode spotlights the drama, history, and realities of world-class track—on the track and behind the scenes—capturing the voices of athletes fighting for greatness (and fairness).