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Shannon Sharpe facing lawsuit containing allegations of sexual assault, battery
By Paul Harvey
Published:
ESPN’s Shannon Sharpe is reportedly facing allegations of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit filed in a Nevada court.
According to Pro Football Talk, the suit was filed on Sunday by a woman under the “Jane Doe” pseudonym and contains allegations of assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery against Sharpe. The complaint is seeking a minimum of $50 million from Sharpe, but if the case proceeds to trial, the recovery will be determined by the jury.
It is important to note that this is a civil case. Sharpe has not been charged with a crime, and there are no criminal consequences attached to this lawsuit.
What follows are some of the allegations against Sharpe. Readers be advised that some of the allegations could be triggering in nature.
According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe and Sharpe engaged in a nearly 2-year consensual relationship, during which Sharpe recorded some of their sexual activities without her knowledge. Sharpe is also accused of sharing those recordings with others without consent.
Jane Doe also alleges it was a separate individual and not herself that Sharpe was engaging in intercourse with when the encounter was “accidentally” livestreamed by Sharpe via Instagram. It was that incident that led Jane Doe to begin pulling away from the relationship with Sharpe, but he allegedly pursued her relentlessly when she began to stop answering his calls or responding to questions about her whereabouts.
The lawsuit details an October 2024 encounter in which Sharpe confronts Jane Doe with the ensuing encounter allegedly involving forcible sex against her consent. Another allegation involves a January 2025 incident where Sharpe allegedly engaged in unprotected sex with the individual despite claims that she asked him to stop or put on a condom.
Sharpe was a 3-time Super Bowl winner and a Hall of Fame tight end during his time in the NFL. Following his retirement, Sharpe got into broadcasting and has since spent time at CBS Sports, FOX Sports and most recently at ESPN.
Sharpe currently serves alongside Stephen A. Smith on “First Take,” and his “Club Shay Shay” podcast has over 3.95 million subscribers on YouTube.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
