- Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe is being sued for $50 million for alleged sexual assault and battery.
- Sharpe denies the allegations, claiming the lawsuit is a ‘shakedown’ orchestrated by the accuser and her attorney, Tony Buzbee.
- The accuser, identified as ‘Jane Doe,’ alleges Sharpe was violent, threatened her, and recorded their sexual encounters without consent.
Pro Football Hall of Famer and media personality Shannon Sharpe is facing a $50 million civil lawsuit, accused of sexual assault and battery.
The woman, who used the alias ‘Jane Doe’ in a lawsuit filed on Sunday in Clark County, Nevada, alleged that Sharpe engaged in the intentional infliction of emotional distress and that he assaulted her twice, once in October 2024 and in January 2025.
The woman says Sharpe became violent over the course of the relationship, threatened to kill her during one incident, and recorded their sexual encounters without her consent.
‘Sharpe flew into fits of anger when Plaintiff noted his infidelity to their relationship, or called him out about his extraneous activities,’ the lawsuit said. ‘What had once been manipulation, control, and intimidation now became something far more dangerous and sinister. Sharpe even figured out how to get into Doe’s apartment complex without her permission.’
Here is the latest:
Shannon Sharpe’s response to allegations
Sharpe, 56, denied the sexual assault allegations in a video published on social media, saying that the lawsuit was essentially a ‘shakedown’ and he is the victim of a ‘blatant set-up,’ orchestrated by attorney Tony Buzbee and the accuser. The woman said she met Sharpe in 2023 at a Los Angeles gym when she was 19, according to the lawsuit.
Sharpe’s attorney Lanny J. Davis said the lawsuit was filled with ‘lies, distortions, and misrepresentations – and it will not succeed.’
‘Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct — especially the gross lie of ‘rape’ — and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail,’ Davis said in the statement. ‘He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on facts and the law.’
Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl-winning tight end, also went on the offensive, with his lawyer releasing explicit text messages between him and the woman and going on social media to defend himself.
‘I’m going to be open, transparent, and defend myself because this isn’t right,’ Sharpe said in an Instagram video on Tuesday. ‘This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee… I believe he is 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.’
Sharpe made $10 million settlement offer, lawyer says
Buzbee countered that statement, calling Sharpe a liar and saying Sharpe offered the plaintiff $10 million to settle the case, and she rejected it.
“She chose to file her case instead. I’m proud to be her lawyer,’ Buzbee said. ‘I didn’t seek her out as a client or target anyone, and Sharpe is well aware of that.”
Buzbee was part of the legal team that reached settlements against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson after more than two dozen massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct.
ESPN response to Shannon Sharpe lawsuit
It was business as usual for Sharpe this week as he appeared on both ‘First Take’ and his YouTube show ‘Nightcap’ with former NFL receiver Chad Johnson.
While ESPN hasn’t officially commented on the lawsuit, ‘First Take’ commentator Stephen A. Smith took time to address the situation on his YouTube show, adding he got permission from ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro to comment.
“I recruited Shannon… but I’m not the boss,” Smith added. “Those are other folks. There are layers to this and there are certain layers that even I am not on. I can tell you I also spoke to co-chairman of Disney, the boss, Jimmy Pitaro, who made it very, very clear that [ESPN is] taking this matter very seriously and we are looking into this very, very closely and once we gather as many facts as we possibly can, we will go from there.’