Shannon Sharpe steps aside from ESPN amid $50M sexual assault lawsuit

On Monday, TMZ reported that First Take co-host Shannon Sharpe is being sued for allegedly raping a woman on multiple occasions. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is seeking $50 million. On Thursday, Sharpe announced he will be temporarily stepping away from his duties at ESPN to deal with the allegations.

“My statement is found here and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100% consensual,” Sharpe wrote. “At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties.

“I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason. I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, fans, friends and colleagues.”

TMZ obtained the lawsuit, which was filed by a Jane Doe on Sunday in Nevada. It claims Shannon Sharpe brutally sexually assaulted her several times at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, following a long-term abusive relationship.

According to the lawsuit via TMZ, “Doe met Sharpe in 2023 at a gym in Los Angeles. She was 20 years old, and he was in his mid-50s. Doe stated in the docs during their first encounter, Sharpe told her he would, ‘Buy her fake t**s’ if she won a weight-loss competition with him.

“She wrote in the suit Sharpe proceeded to pursue her relentlessly, calling, texting and ‘demanding she come to his Beverly Glen mansion.’ The woman stated she and the former Denver Broncos tight end ultimately got into a consensual relationship, though she described it as controlling and verbally abusive.”

Tony Buzbee is representing the plaintiff. He represented 20-plus women who alleged sexual misconduct against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

On Tuesday, Sharpe’s accuser released audio in which the NFL Hall-of-Famer could be heard saying, “Lord have mercy. If you say that word one more time, I will fu*king choke the sh*t out of you when I see you.” Sharpe was on the air when the audio was released.

“To my family, friends, supporters, and colleagues, I want to speak to you directly and from the heart,” Sharpe said. “This is a shakedown. I’m going to be open, transparent, and defend myself because this isn’t right. This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee, who has targeted Jay-Z. Tony Buzbee targets Black men, and I believe he’s going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and plays into every stereotype you can possibly imagine.

“That video should actually be 10 minutes or so. Hey Tony, instead of releasing your edit, put the whole video out. I don’t have it, or I would myself. You know what happened and you’re trying to manipulate the media.”

On3’s Nick Geddes also contributed to this report.