Shannon Sharpe sued for $50 million over alleged sexual assaults

Shannon Sharpe is being sued for allegedly raping a woman on multiple occasions, according to TMZ Sports. The plaintiff in the case is asking for tens of millions in damages from the Pro Football Hall of Famer.

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

According to the lawsuit via TMZ Sports, “Doe met Sharpe in 2023 at a gym in Los Angeles. She was 20 years old, and he was in his mid-50s. She 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.”

Attorney Tony Buzbee is representing the plaintiff. He wrote in Doe’s suit that Sharpe “demanded complete control over her time and body, expecting her to be at his house on his schedule, at his command, whenever he called.”

Moreover, TMZ Sports reported that Doe claimed there was one argument in particular that terrified her. Sharpe apparently yelled at her while a firearm was visible in the room: “Plaintiff tried sharing her location with friends from her iPhone — just in case,” the documents stated, via TMZ Sports. “But Sharpe saw her doing this. The moment he realized what she was doing, he grabbed her by the neck and told her, ‘If you ever do that again, I will f***ing kill you.'”

Afterwards, the duo continued their relationship, even through a move to Nevada. However, TMZ Sports reported that Doe stated in her suit she attempted to break things off after his infamous Instagram Live streaming incident from Sharpe. Apparently, it led to him raping her.

“Doe claimed in her suit the first instance happened in October 2024 at her apartment,” TMZ Sports reported. “She said the 56-year-old Pro Football Hall of Famer forced himself on her ‘while she was crying and sobbing.’

“The second instance, the suit alleges, happened a few weeks later, in January 2025. Doe claims Sharpe came over to her house with promises of delivering a Christmas and birthday gift to her. Instead, he violently sexually assaulted her once more.”

The plaintiff is suing Sharpe for over $50 million. TMZ Sports reached out to the ESPN personality for comment on the matter, but there’s been no word back as of this writing.

“It takes a great deal of courage to stand up against those with power, fame and money,” Tony Buzbee said in a statement after filing the suit on Jane Doe’s behalf, via TMZ Sports. “I look forward to pressing this case in court.”