In April, former NFL tight end turned sports hot take artist and interviewer with the worst questions ever, Shannon Sharpe, was about to sign his name on a $100 million podcast contract.
The very same month, a young woman accused Sharpe of sexual assault and filed a lawsuit against the co-star of ESPN’s First Take.
Here’s the aftermath:
ESPN has cut ties with NFL Hall of Famer and media analyst Shannon Sharpe less than two weeks after he settled a lawsuit in which his ex-girlfriend accused him of rape, sources briefed on the decision told The Athletic on Wednesday.
Sharpe has not been on ESPN since late April, when the suit was first filed. He said at the time that he would return to ESPN at the beginning of NFL training camp. ESPN declined to comment.
The woman, known as “Jane Doe” in the suit, was seeking $50 million for “pain and suffering, psychological and emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment and humiliation.” Sharpe publicly denied the allegations immediately after his accuser filed the suit in April, calling the case a “shakedown” attempt. He has maintained that he and the Nevada woman were in a consensual sexual relationship. (The Athletic)
What is Shannon Sharpe doing?
Shannon Sharpe became a sports media darling a few years back.
After years of generating funny memes sitting across from Skip Bayless on their First Take rip-off for Fox Sports, Undisputed, Shannon finally broke away from what looked like a nasty relationship from the outside looking in—with Skip becoming more and more comfortable taking personal shots at Shannon on-air.
He joined forces with Stephen A. Smith at ESPN to mumble his words across from a man who hasn’t made a compelling argument in almost a decade.
The perfect pairing for a company no longer interested in reporting or telling compelling stories anymore.
ESPN built its entire network around Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe arguing.
But at the same time, Shannon’s independent media ventures were gaining more eyes, attention and praise.
His Club Shay Shay had the most viral interview of the year as Katt Williams spent an hour lying to him about Hollywood and how famous he would’ve been if he allowed the Illuminati to do [fill in the blank stupidity].
Shannon Sharpe had become one of the biggest names in the field.
My guy was sleepwalking to a $100 million payday.
All he had to do was not rape a young girl he met at the gym.
And he couldn’t do that.
“This lawsuit, filed by [Jane Doe] and orchestrated by her attorney Tony Buzbee, is a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars,” begins the statement by attorney Lanny J. Davis, which names the accuser. “It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.”
The response, which includes explicit text messages between Sharpe and the plaintiff, follows a woman filing a lawsuit against Sharpe in Nevada on Sunday. According to court documents, their relationship began in 2023 when the plaintiff was 19 years old after the two met at a local gym. While the plaintiff admits the two were engaged in a “consensual rocky relationship” for two years, she is claiming there are things that went down that she did not consent to.
After footage of Sharpe engaged in a sexual encounter with a woman accidentally leaked on Instagram Live in September 2024, the plaintiff began to distance herself from Sharpe. She alleged that Sharpe began to relentlessly pursue her and that on at least two encounters subjected her to forced sexual encounters. She also alleged that Sharpe would record their sexual encounters without her knowledge and share the footage with others. (Source)
At 55 years old, after recently joining ESPN—soon to be the face of the biggest, well-known sports broadcast on television—Shannon Sharpe picked up a hot teenager he saw working out at his local gym.
I’m 30 with zero dollars and I could not imagine trying to date a 19-year-old right now. They wouldn’t get any of my Mitch Hedberg references.
Shannon Sharpe was 55 and just signed a huge contract, ready to risk it all for a girl who could not legally have a drink with him at dinner.
What are your priorities, big dog?
But what’s worst of all is the idea that she tried to distance herself from Shannon and that’s when he got creepy and pursued her harder—and that’s when the alleged assaults took place.
To me, it sounds like Shannon likes having this little girl in his back pocket—tethered to his money and resources and celebrity—and when homegirl finally stood up for herself and wanted to leave his weird ass, he freaked out and took it.
Why would you even want to have a BDSM-style relationship with a girl who just, recently, took a school bus to first-period math class?
You’re Shannon fucking Sharpe.
You’re tall and jacked.
You’re wealthy.
You’re a TV star.
You’re a Denver Broncos legend.
YOU’RE IN THE FUCKING NFL HALL OF FAME.
Why is your self-esteem so low that you need a newborn who wasn’t even alive to see you catch balls from Jon Elway?
What’s next for Shannon Sharpe?
. @ShannonSharpe responds to today’s events@ShannonSharpe @ShayShayMedia_ pic.twitter.com/H2cMBrpiDg
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) July 31, 2025
I believe Shannon here when he says he wishes this news didn’t overshadow his brother’s Hall of Fame induction.
It’s one of the reasons I’m so disappointed in him.
Sure, I don’t like the debate show schtick.
I think he and Ocho Cinco produce too much gossipy, ‘boys rules/girls drool’ lazy internet bullshit on his Night Cap podcast.
His Club Shay Shay interviews aren’t worth the time it takes to watch them.
But he’s damn good at actually talking X’s and O’s football and when he is sincere—like whenever he talks about his brother—it’s hard not to like the man.
Shannon will maintain 99% of his audience.
No one takes sexual assault seriously.
It’s easier to say “we don’t know what happened between them, even though there was enough evidence to make him settle and give her a bag of cash,” than it is to change your viewing habits and look for new content to consume.
Good luck to Shannon and the girl he just handed generational wealth to.
Thanks for reading.
Let me know if you think Shannon Sharpe ruined his own life for no reason, leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee.
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