Shannon Sharpe has announced that he will be stepping away from his role on ESPN’s First Take following the emergence of sexual assault allegations tied to a $50 million civil lawsuit filed earlier this week.
The 56-year-old sports commentator and former NFL star has firmly denied the accusations, which were made by a woman identified as Jane Doe. The allegations claim Sharpe sexually assaulted her in late 2024 and early 2025.
In a public statement shared on Thursday, Sharpe addressed the lawsuit and confirmed his temporary departure from ESPN.
“My statement is found here and this is the truth,” Sharpe wrote on social media. “The relationship in question was 100% consensual. 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 preseason.”
The accuser’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, released an audio recording earlier this week in which Sharpe is allegedly heard saying, “I might choke you in public.”
In response, Sharpe’s lawyer, Lanny J. Davis, issued a statement accompanied by a series of explicit text messages he says were sent by the accuser. Davis claims these texts reveal the two were engaged in a consensual relationship involving “role-playing” and “fantasy.” One message allegedly sent in October 2023 reads, “I want you to put a dog collar around my neck and choke me with it while you’re f–king me.”
Davis also noted that both parties were reportedly nearing a settlement agreement worth at least $10 million before the accuser chose to withdraw.
Sharpe has not been criminally charged at this time, and the case remains a civil matter.