Shannon Sharpe accused of sexual assault and battery in $50 million lawsuit

(CN) — NFL Hall of Famer and podcaster Shannon Sharpe was sued on Sunday for sexual assault and battery by an unnamed woman seeking at least $50 million in damages.

According to the civil complaint filed in Nevada state court, the 56-year-old Sharpe and the woman, in her early 20s, were in a “rocky consensual relationship that lasted nearly two years,” and was marked by abusive behavior, including rape.

“In October 2024, Shannon Sharpe violently sexually assaulted and anally raped [the] Plaintiff two different times in Las Vegas, Nevada, blatantly ignoring her requests for him to stop,” the woman says in her complaint. “He did it again in January.”

Sharpe played tight end for 14 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Denver Broncos, winning three Super Bowls. After retiring in 2003, Sharpe became a successful television commentator and pundit, co-hosting a sport talk show with columnist Skip Bayless for eight years. He has since turned to podcasting, where he has been no less successful — as of a few days ago, he was reportedly on the verge of signing a $100 million podcast deal.

Never married, Sharpe’s personal life has been a tumultuous one, especially in recent years. In 2023, he was sued by an ex-girlfriend, Michele Evans, who accused Sharpe of forcing her to perform oral sex on him without her consent. In September 2024, Sharpe began to stream audio of himself live, on Instagram, appearing to engage in sexual intercourse. Sharpe apologized for the incident and claimed it was an accident.

In the newer lawsuit, the plaintiff — who identifies herself as Jane Doe — says she met Sharpe at a gym in Los Angeles in 2023, when she was just 19. Though she rejected his initial advances, she finally agreed to see him, though she refused his “demand” to sign a non-disclosure agreement. During their first date, she says in her complaint, she was led directly to his bedroom, where the two engaged in oral sex.

“As they did so, Doe at some point realized Sharpe was using his phone. He was apparently recording her,” she says in her complaint. “At some point later during the night, Sharpe woke up, grabbed Plaintiff by her vagina, and began having sex with her.”

The plaintiff says she was five minutes late for their second date, prompting an angry reaction from the volatile Sharpe.

“He accused her of disrespecting him, wasting his time, and warned that if she wanted to be with ‘The Shannon Sharpe,’ she would have to learn obedience,” she states in her complaint. “This cycle of control, fear, and submission became routine. Yelling at her, controlling her, forcibly grabbing her by the neck when he got upset, saying he was going to ‘kill her,’ and asserting dominance became the norm.”

After the Instagram Live incident, the plaintiff says she felt humiliated — she had thought they were in an exclusive relationship. She attempted to pull away from Sharpe, and stopped answering his phone calls. Then, she says, he confronted her at the gym and told her: “Sit the fuck down or I’m going to kill you.”

“I don’t want to talk to you," she replied. “You cheated on me.”

“You don’t have a choice," he told her, according to her complaint.

He then forced her to get into his car and drove her to his house, she says in her complaint, and there he raped her.

“Shannon Sharpe forced himself on the Plaintiff and raped her, despite her sobbing in agony as it happened,” she says in her complaint. During the second rape in January, she says she “cried and begged repeatedly for him to stop.”

According to the New York Post, Sharpe has been sued dozens of times, settling 23 of 24 complaints.

The plaintiff is being represented by Tony Buzbee, the famous attorney who successfully defended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during his impeachment trial, and who filed numerous cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs for sexual assault, though he has dropped many of them after being admonished for not having a license to practice law in the Southern District of New York. He also represented more than 20 women who sued quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2021 for sexual assault.

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