Shannon Sharpe ousted from ESPN after settling $50M rape lawsuit
ESPN is reportedly done with Shannon Sharpe after he settled a bombshell $50 million sexual battery and rape lawsuit earlier this month.
Sources confirmed the news to the Athletic Wednesday.
ESPN and Sharpe weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.
Sharpe, 57, was sued in Nevada in April by a woman referred to as Jane Doe.
She accused the former NFL star of raping her numerous times toward the end of 2024 and the start of 2025.
The woman — who claimed to have met Sharpe at a gym in 2023 — alleged in the filing that she was involved in an abusive relationship with him for years before the alleged assaults occurred.
Doe also noted she was 20 years old and the retired tight end was in his 50s.
She alleged that Sharpe began to pursue her aggressively by texting, calling and “demanding she come to his Beverly Glen mansion.”
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Doe’s legal team released an audio recording allegedly of the sports commentator threatening to “f–king choke the s–t out of” her.
In response to the allegations, Sharpe’s legal team released screenshots of alleged text messages between himself and Doe, claiming they were involved in a consensual relationship that involved “fantasy” and “role-playing.”
Sharpe also vehemently denied the assault allegations and threatened to countersue.
At the time, he “temporarily” stepped away from his role at ESPN, writing via X, “This is the truth. 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,” he added.
At the time, ESPN told Page Six that they “agree[d] with Shannon’s decision to step away.”
Sharpe was accused of rape in a second lawsuit — also filed in April — and denied the allegations.
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