Shannon Sharpe: Pro Football Hall of Famer out at ESPN just weeks after settling sexual assault and battery lawsuit

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This report contains graphic descriptions of sexual acts.

Former NFL star Shannon Sharpe, who has been one of the faces of ESPN’s morning sports debate show “First Take,” is no longer with the network, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

The breakup between the podcast star and the media outlet comes less than two weeks after Sharpe reached a settlement with an anonymous woman who filed a lawsuit against the famed tight end, accusing him of multiple instances of assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery.

Sharpe’s attorney did not have a comment on Wednesday.

The Athletic was the first to report the split.

At the time of the settlement, the accuser’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, said, “Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship. After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution. All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”

A spokesperson for Sharpe confirmed the details of Buzbee’s statement and said that the three-time Super Bowl winner would not be commenting further on the matter.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The lawsuit originally sought compensatory and punitive damages of more than $50 million.

Sharpe’s legal representatives previously described the lawsuit, filed in April, as an attempt to “shake down” the popular podcaster for millions of dollars and said he “categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct.”

Sharpe has also disputed the claims.

“To my family, friends, supporters and colleagues, I want to speak to you directly and from the heart,” Sharpe said in a video released on X in April. “This is a shakedown. I’m going to be open, transparent and defend myself, because this isn’t right.”

In the suit filed in a Las Vegas district court, “Jane Doe” accused former NFL All-Pro of “manipulating and controlling” the plaintiff during a nearly two-year period that started in 2023 as a consensual relationship when the woman was 20 years old.

The civil complaint alleged Sharpe, 56, “violently sexually assaulted and anally raped Plaintiff,” in October 2024 and again in January of this year in Las Vegas, “blatantly ignoring her requests for him to stop.”

The suit stated: “After many months of manipulating and controlling Plaintiff — a woman more than thirty years younger than he — and repeatedly threatening to brutally choke and violently slap her, Sharpe refused to accept the answer no and raped Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no.’”

When asked if Jane Doe had contacted police during or after the alleged assaults, Buzbee said he could not comment.

Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, said the woman was attempting to blackmail his client and that the pair’s relationship was consensual and “sexual in nature — and, in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.”

The Pro Football Hall of Famer was inducted as part of the Class of 2011. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1990 and retired following the 2003 season as the NFL’s all-time leader in catches, yards and touchdowns by a tight end.

Sharpe won two Super Bowls with Denver and then another while a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

After his playing career, Sharpe went on to a successful television career and hosts the popular “Club Shay Shay” podcast.

In June 2024, ESPN announced it had agreed to a multi-year contract with Sharpe after the former NFL player originally joined the “First Take” show in August 2023.

In the wake of the lawsuit, Sharpe announced he would temporarily take time away from his role on ESPN, where he was one of the faces of the morning sports debate show “First Take.”

“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,” Sharpe said at the time.

Following Sharpe’s announcement, ESPN said in a statement, “This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away.”

ESPN declined to comment on Wednesday, nor did it comment following the settlement on July 18.

CNN’s Kevin Dotson contributed to this report.

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