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Shannon Sharpe is not returning to ESPN after recently settling a lawsuit with a rape accuser, a network spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The football Hall of Famer turned national television star was accused of assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery. He was also accused of engaging “in the intentional infliction of emotional distress,” and his accuser was seeking $50 million in damages.
The situation got ugly, with Sharpe calling the allegations a “shakedown” while he and his legal team released sexually explicit messages the woman had allegedly sent him.
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Shannon Sharpe speaks onstage during the 2024 RenderATL Tech Conference at AmericasMart Atlanta June 14, 2024, in Atlanta. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
The woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, announced earlier this month that the sides “reached a mutually agreed upon resolution,” but other details were not revealed.
Sharpe joined ESPN shortly after departing FOX, appearing on “First Take.” He last appeared on the show in April after the allegations became public.
Buzbee represented two dozen of the women who accused Deshaun Watson of sexual assault, and all but one of those cases ended in a settlement. Buzbee also represented the woman who accused Jay-Z and Diddy of assault when she was just 13. Those charges were dropped, and Jay-Z is now suing a woman and Buzbee. Sharpe accused Buzbee of targeting Black men.
Hosts of ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, at the CFP Fan Central at the George World Congress Center. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, said the release of the explicit messages between the plaintiff and Sharpe “clearly indicate the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.”
The complaint accused Sharpe of “manipulating and controlling Plaintiff” and making threats of violence against her.
“A woman can say ‘yes’ to consensual sexual relations with a man ninety-nine times, but when she says ‘no’ even once, that ‘no’ means no,” the complaint said, according to ProFootballTalk. “Defendant Shannon Sharpe, a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, completely fails to understand this basic concept.
“After many months of manipulating and controlling Plaintiff — a woman more than thirty years younger than he — and repeatedly threatening to brutally choke and violently slap her, Sharpe refused to accept the answer no and raped Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no.’”
Shannon Sharpe during the second quarter between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles March 16, 2024. (Jason Parkhurst/USA Today Sports)
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Sharpe’s attorneys admitted the former tight end previously offered the woman a settlement of around $10 million, but she declined.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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