Pro Football Hall of Famer and media personality Shannon Sharpe is facing a $50 million civil lawsuit, accused of sexual assault and battery.
The woman, who used the alias “Jane Doe” in a lawsuit filed on Sunday in Clark County, Nevada, alleged that Sharpe engaged in the intentional infliction of emotional distress and that he assaulted her twice, once in October 2024 and in January 2025.
The woman says Sharpe became violent over the course of the relationship, threatened to kill her during one incident, and recorded their sexual encounters without her consent.
“Sharpe flew into fits of anger when Plaintiff noted his infidelity to their relationship, or called him out about his extraneous activities,” the lawsuit said. “What had once been manipulation, control, and intimidation now became something far more dangerous and sinister. Sharpe even figured out how to get into Doe’s apartment complex without her permission.”
Sharpe announced Thursday he was stepping away from his ESPN duties but planned to return to the job at “the beginning of the NFL preseason.
Here is the latest:
Shannon Sharpe’s attorneys are again going on the offensive, this time against a woman who was in a previous relationship with the Hall of Famer, who said that he sexually assaulted her, then threatened to “ruin her” if she discussed the incident.
Michele Bundy Evans, who sued Sharpe in 2023 for defamation, libel and slander said in an interview with The Sun that Sharpe sexually assaulted her in 2010 and that she filed a restraining order against him.
Sharpe’s legal team said that Evans’ accusations “are nothing more than old news, fanciful exaggerations, or sometimes blatant misrepresentations of fact.”
“They are shared on social media or fed to reporters with intentional factual omissions and no regard for the truth. This is obviously purposeful, designed to create a fabricated narrative,” Mitchell Schuster, Litigation Counsel to Sharpe, said in a statement. “This is exactly what is happening to Shannon Sharpe and the resurrection of the case involving Michele Evans is a perfect example. Sadly, Ms. Evans became obsessed with Shannon and decided to manufacture a claim against him. When she could not find a lawyer to pursue her outrageous story, she filed a civil complaint on her own that is completely devoid of merit.”
According to a report in Front Office Sports, Sharpe, while he was a co-host of Undisputed on FS1 was accused of choking a female production assistant in the workplace, and settled the case for “several hundred thousand dollars.”
A representative for Sharpe disputed the characterization in a statement to Front Office Sports: “There was no incident of choking involving Shannon on the FS1 set. On one occasion, he and a few colleagues were involved in some light physical interaction in a playful context. Fox Sports later chose to resolve the matter privately.”
On Thursday, Sharpe said in a statement:
“The relationship in question was 100 % consensual.
“At this junction I am eliciting to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties. I will be devoting my 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. I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, friends and colleagues.”ESPN said in a statement: “This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away.”
Sharpe, 56, denied the sexual assault allegations in a video published on social media, saying that the lawsuit was essentially a “shakedown” and he is the victim of a “blatant set-up,” orchestrated by attorney Tony Buzbee and the accuser. The woman said she met Sharpe in 2023 at a Los Angeles gym when she was 19, according to the lawsuit.
Sharpe’s attorney Lanny J. Davis said the lawsuit was filled with “lies, distortions, and misrepresentations – and it will not succeed.”
“Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct — especially the gross lie of ‘rape’ — and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail,” Davis said in the statement. “He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on facts and the law.”
Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl-winning tight end, also went on the offensive, with his lawyer releasing explicit text messages between him and the woman and going on social media to defend himself.
“I’m going to be open, transparent, and defend myself because this isn’t right,” Sharpe said in an Instagram video on Tuesday. “This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee… I believe he is going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and plays into every stereotype you can possibly imagine.”
Buzbee countered that statement, calling Sharpe a liar and saying Sharpe offered the plaintiff $10 million to settle the case, and she rejected it.
“She chose to file her case instead. I’m proud to be her lawyer,” Buzbee said. “I didn’t seek her out as a client or target anyone, and Sharpe is well aware of that.”
Buzbee was part of the legal team that reached settlements against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson after more than two dozen massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct.
It was business as usual for Sharpe this week as he appeared on both “First Take” and his YouTube show “Nightcap” with former NFL receiver Chad Johnson.
While ESPN hasn’t officially commented on the lawsuit, “First Take” commentator Stephen A. Smith took time to address the situation on his YouTube show, adding he got permission from ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro to comment.
“I recruited Shannon… but I’m not the boss,” Smith added. “Those are other folks. There are layers to this and there are certain layers that even I am not on. I can tell you I also spoke to co-chairman of Disney, the boss, Jimmy Pitaro, who made it very, very clear that [ESPN is] taking this matter very seriously and we are looking into this very, very closely and once we gather as many facts as we possibly can, we will go from there.”
Shannon Sharpe $50 million civil lawsuit: What we know – USA Today
