Shannon Sharpe stepping aside from ESPN in wake of sexual assault lawsuit

April 25, 2025
Shannon Sharpe stepping aside from ESPN in wake of sexual assault lawsuit Shannon Sharpe stepping aside from ESPN in wake of sexual assault lawsuit

Shannan Sharpe will “step aside temporarily” from his duties at ESPN in the wake of a $50 million civil lawsuit accusing him of rape, the football analyst said Thursday.

The 56-year-old former Denver Broncos tight end said he needs time away from the studios to fight allegations that he called “false and disruptive.”

“I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false allegations set against me,” the Hall of Fame football great said.

An ESPN representative said that Sharpe, a frequent panelist on the show “First Take,” is right to take a break from work at the cable sports outfit.

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

A woman filed a lawsuit in Nevada on Sunday, accusing Sharpe of twice raping her in Las Vegas in October and one more time in Janu, according to the suit.

The woman said she was 19 years old in 2023 when she first met Sharpe in a Los Angeles gym, leading to a “rocky consensual relationship” of nearly two years in which he was frequently “aggressive” and raped her, according to the Clark County civil complaint.

Sharpe has denied all allegations.

A representative for the plaintiff could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.

byWeb Desk
Published

Read more