Shannon Sharpe Exits ESPN Following Sexual Assault Settlement
Shannon Sharpe will not be returning to ESPN after all.
ESPN is cutting ties with the former NFL star and current on-air personality, The New York Times reports, after Sharpe settled a lawsuit in which a Nevada woman accused him of rape and sexual assault.
Sharpe insisted that the relationship was consensual, but the woman's attorney Tony Buzbee announced earlier this month that a settlement had been reached. Details of the settlement have not been revealed.
Sharpe, who regularly appeared on ESPN's morning talk show First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith, announced in April that he was taking a leave of absence from the cable network, in the wake of the lawsuit being filed. He maintained at the time that he would return for the beginning of the NFL preseason, which kicks off this week.
"My statement is found here and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100% consensual," Sharpe said in a statement posted to social media. "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."
In a separate statement, an ESPN spokesperson told TVLine, "This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon's decision to step away."
Earlier that month, Sharpe was named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by a Jane Doe, who alleged that Sharpe committed assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery against her on two separate occasions in Las Vegas, once in October 2024 and another in January of this year. She was seeking at least $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
In a video posted to X the following day, Sharpe denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit a "shakedown." However, after the release of text messages allegedly exchanged between Sharpe and the plaintiff, Sharpe's lawyer Lanny Davis revealed that Sharpe had offered the plaintiff "tens of millions of dollars" to settle the case before her lawsuit was filed.
Since 2023, Sharpe had been a staple of ESPN's First Take, regularly appearing on Mondays and Tuesdays. He has also contributed to CBS Sports and Fox Sports 1. Prior to his media career, he played as a tight end in the NFL for 13 years, winning three Super Bowls and being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.