Hall of Fame tight end and ESPN host Shannon Sharpe is stepping away from his role on First Take amid explosive allegations of rape, battery, and emotional abuse. The move comes days after an anonymous woman filed a civil lawsuit in Las Vegas, accusing Sharpe of violent sexual assault during their nearly two-year relationship.
Sharpe’s team said he offered the accuser $10 million prior to the lawsuit, Deadline reports.
The 56-year-old former NFL star has denied all allegations, calling the lawsuit a “shakedown” and claiming the relationship was consensual and initiated by the woman, who is more than 30 years his junior. His legal team has released sexually explicit messages they say came from the accuser, including texts in which she allegedly asked him to “abuse me, Daddy.” Sharpe has also demanded the release of a full 10-minute sex tape he says will exonerate him, accusing her attorney, Tony Buzbee, of planning to leak a misleading 30-second clip, according to NBC News.
“This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee, who has a pattern of targeting high-profile Black men,” Sharpe said in a social media video. “This is a shakedown. I’m going to be open, transparent and defend myself, because this isn’t right.”
Sharpe’s accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe,” claims he raped her twice—in October 2024 and again in January 2025—despite her repeated pleas for him to stop. She says Sharpe manipulated her psychologically, threatened her with violence, and demanded complete sexual control. Her lawyer, Buzbee, who previously represented women in the Deshaun Watson case, has released an audio clip allegedly of Sharpe threatening to choke the woman during an argument, People reports.
In response, Sharpe’s lawyer Lanny Davis acknowledged the recording, saying it was “heat of the moment” language but not a threat of real violence. Davis maintains that the messages and recordings are part of a broader consensual dynamic that included role-play and fantasy.
“I will be devoting this time to my family and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations,” Sharpe said in a statement. “I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.”
ESPN supported his decision, calling the matter “serious” in a statement, according to CNN.
Sharpe is reportedly preparing a defamation lawsuit against both the accuser and Buzbee, as the civil suit seeks $50 million in damages.
Stephen A. Smith has broken his silence regarding his “First Take” co-host Sharpe. Smith, speaking on his podcast, said Sharpe “emphatically proclaims his innocence” and expressed hope he is innocent, but also questioned the legal strategy of revealing the accuser’s identity and texts. Smith called it a “sad situation” and noted ESPN was aware he’d comment, Fox News reports.
