Shannon Sharpe takes break from ESPN amid sexual assault allegations | NFL

Former NFL star Shannon Sharpe says he is stepping away from his duties as an ESPN analyst after a lawsuit was filed against him in Nevada on Sunday.

The lawsuit was filed by a woman who says she met the 56-year-old Sharpe at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 when she was 20. A two-year consensual relationship ensued during which, she alleges, he raped her.

Sharpe, who has previously denied the allegations, said on Thursday that the relationship was “100% consensual” and that he was “electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties.”

In the statement, he added: “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 has fashioned a successful media career on television and podcasts since he retired from the NFL, and had recently signed a contract extension with ESPN. In a statement on Thursday, ESPN commented on Sharpe’s decision.

“This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away,” the network said.

In the lawsuit, the woman also claims Sharpe once threatened to kill her after she arrived at his house. Additionally she alleges he filmed some of their sexual encounters and shared the footage with others. She is seeking $50m in damages.

Her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, released audio earlier this week in which someone, allegedly Sharpe, can be heard threatening to choke the woman. Buzbee has also represented women who say they have been assaulted by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson. On Thursday, Sharpe said in a video posted to Instagram that the lawsuit is a “shakedown,” and Buzbee “targets Black men”. Sharpe’s lawyer also said the audio recording was “heavily edited and taken entirely out of context.”

Sharpe temporarily stepped away from his role at CBS Sports in 2010 after a woman accused him of sexual assault. Sharpe never faced criminal charges over those allegations, and he later returned to his job.

Sharpe played 14 seasons in the NFL, won three Super Bowls and was an eight-time Pro Bowler. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.