Shannon Sharpe steps away from ESPN after women's $50-million rape, $14-million defamation lawsuits (2025)

Shannon Sharpe announced Thursday that he decided to temporarily step away from his ESPN duties, four days after a woman filed a $50-million civil lawsuit in which she accuses the “First Take” panelist of raping her and mentions another woman’s defamation lawsuit against the Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end.

One lawsuit, filed by a Jane Doe on Sunday in Clark County, Nev., seeks damages for claims of assault, sexual assault, battery, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress while alleging multiple nonconsensual sexual encounters in her Las Vegas apartment between October and January.

“The relationship in question was 100% consensual,” Sharpe wrote in a statement posted on his X and Instagram accounts Thursday, hours before the start of the NFL draft. “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 season.”

An ESPN spokesperson said in a statement emailed to The Times that “this is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away.”

The lawsuit also mentions an ongoing New York civil lawsuit filed in 2023 by Michele Evans, who says she had been in a lengthy relationship with Sharpe. The lawsuit seeks damages of at least $14 million for claims of defamation, libel, slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress and more. It also includes an allegation that Sharpe sexually assaulted Evans while they were arguing in 2010.

After the incident, Evans said in her lawsuit, Sharpe started threatening to “ruin” her life if she were to “disclose his transgressions.” She obtained a protective order against Sharpe because of the threats, according to the lawsuit.

Sharpe took a leave of absence as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports in 2010 after the restraining order but shortly returned when Evans withdrew her petition.

“This legal safeguard was subsequently relinquished when the Defendant engaged in an act of ‘doxxing’, maliciously exposing my personal address through court documents,” Evans wrote.

According to Evans’ lawsuit, Sharpe allegedly made subsequent comments, both directly and indirectly, about their history on various media platforms. “In moments when the public discourse pivots to the misconduct of celebrated sports personalities, Shannon opportunistically interjects himself into the dialogue, often hinting or unequivocally alleging that my accusations were fabrications,” Evans wrote.

Mitchell Schuster, litigation counsel to Sharpe, said in a statement Friday that Evans’ complaint is “completely devoid of merit.”

Sharpe first addressed Jane Doe’s allegations Tuesday in a video posted on Instagram, in which he called the lawsuit “a shakedown.” Lawyers for both sides have acknowledged that Sharpe offered at least $10 million to settle the case in mediation before the lawsuit was filed, but the accuser declined the offer.

In a statement Friday, Schuster defended his client for offering such a settlement and added that the offer no longer stands.

“While Shannon was willing to pay her a substantial amount of money to avoid the intimate details of his personal life from being exposed, as many high-profile individuals often do when they are being threatened, that is no longer the case,” Schuster stated. “This is a shakedown, pure and simple and we have the evidence to prove it.”

Sharpe, 56, first appeared on “First Take” in August 2023, two months after his seven-year run as a co-host on FS1’s “Undisputed” with Skip Bayless came to an end. In June 2024, Sharpe signed a multiyear contract with ESPN that expanded his role on “First Take” and other shows on ESPN as well.

“Being a part of this family has been a blessing,” Sharpe said at the time. “Everything about this relationship with ESPN, Stephen A. [Smith], and ‘First Take,’ has been tremendous. I look forward to expanding my role and showing more of the world what I have to offer.”

In September, Sharpe was involved in an incident in which he claims he accidentally livestreamed audio of himself having sex on Instagram Live. Sharpe was not publicly disciplined by ESPN.

Sharpe also is a successful podcaster, hosting shows such as “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap.” On April 18, Front Office Sports reported that Sharpe’s media deal with the Volume podcast network expired and Sharpe “has received multiple offers and is expected to sign a deal that would exceed $100 million.”