The former NFL star and media personality hadn't appeared on the sports network since a Jane Doe accuser sued him in April. He denied the allegations. Shannon S
The former NFL star and media personality hadn't appeared on the sports network since a Jane Doe accuser sued him in April. He denied the allegations.
Shannon Sharpe is out at ESPN after settling $50 million sexual assault lawsuit
The former NFL star and media personality hadn't appeared on the sports network since a Jane Doe accuser sued him in April. He denied the allegations.
By Raechal Shewfelt
Published on July 30, 2025 06:44PM EDT
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Shannon Sharpe on 'First Take'. Credit:
Paras Griffin/Getty
Shannon Sharpe will not be back on the air at ESPN.
The former NFL star and the sports network have parted ways in the wake of Sharpe settling a $50 million sexual assault lawsuit against him for an undisclosed amount, ** has confirmed. The news was first reported by the Athletic.
Sharpe, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and media personality, had been part of the team on ESPN's morning series *First Take* until April, when a Jane Doe accuser filed a legal complaint alleging that he violently assaulted and raped her.
Sharped denied the allegations, saying the relationship was entirely consensual and calling the lawsuit an "egregious attempt at blackmail." He also said he would "step aside temporarily" from his ESPN duties, though he planned to return to TV screens in time for the NFL preseason, which begins Aug. 7.
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ESPN declined to comment Wednesday. Representatives for Sharpe didn't immediately respond to EW's requests for comment.
Word of Sharpe and ESPN's split comes less than two weeks after Doe's attorney Tony Buzbee announced that the lawsuit had been settled.
"Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship," Buzbee said in a statement posted to social media. "After protracted and respectful negotiations, I'm pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution." Details of the settlement were not provided.
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Shannon Sharpe at the 2024 RenderATL Tech Conference.
Paras Griffin/Getty
Sharpe, 57, was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1990 and won two Super Bowls with the team. He also won a ring with the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in 2003. Within a few years, he was back on the air working as an NFL analyst and commentator for various outlets. He joined ESPN in 2023.
In addition to his TV work, Sharpe hosts the podcasts *Club Shay Shay*, on which he interviews athletes and other celebrities, and *Nightcap*, which he cohosts with fellow NFL alum Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson.**
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"I'm bigger now than at any point in my career. I'm 10 times what I was," Sharpe told *The Hollywood Reporter* last year. "I won Super Bowls. I'm in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But I've never been as big as I am right now."
One month later, it was announced that Sharpe had signed a deal to expand his presence on ESPN.**
Source: "AOL TV"
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