Shannon Sharpe issued this statement Thursday afternoon in response to the $50 million rape lawsuit filed against him:

The filing was made over the weekend.

The New York Post summarized the details:

The complaint, filed in a Nevada state court, alleges the ESPN personality committed assault, sexual assault, battery, sexual battery and engaged in the intentional infliction of emotional distress during a “rocky consensual relationship” that lasted nearly two years with a woman more than thirty years younger than him.

The plaintiff alleges Sharpe brutally sexually assaulted her several times at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.

The complaint accuses Sharpe of threatening to kill her multiple times, being “manipulating and controlling” and “repeatedly threatening to brutally choke and violently slap her.”

It’s been a total mess over the last few days. Sharpe appeared on First Take after the accusation was made, then his lawyers released a number of text messages allegedly from the woman, in an effort to defend their client and show that the relationship was consensual. Then TMZ leaked audio allegedly from the accuser, and Sharpe published an Instagram video claiming that the entire thing was a shakedown orchestrated by high-profile lawyer Tony Buzbee. ESPN has been criticized all week long, 1) for keeping Sharpe on air and 2) not commenting on the situation. Then there was a doxxing and a claim of a $10 million settlement offer, blah blah etc. Nothing but slop with this story.

EDIT –


here’s an ESPN statement: