This week some pretty disturbing allegations about Hall of Fame tight end and sports media personality Shannon Sharpe came to light. But will those allegations lead ESPN First Take to distance themselves from him?
It appears not. According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Sharpe will appear on First Take as normal on Tuesday.
Per the report, he will not be addressing the $50 million rape lawsuit that was recently filed against him, not did he address the matter on Monday’s show.
“Shannon Sharpe will appear as scheduled on today’s First Take. Sharpe’s not expected to address $50 million rape lawsuit on today’s episode with Stephen A. Smith. The Pro Football Hall of Famer did not address on Monday’s episode either,” McCarthy wrote.
Sharpe is being sued in Clark County, Nevada by a Jane Doe stating that a consensual relationship between them turned violent between 2024 and 2025.
“The woman, who is seeking $50 million in damages, said she met Sharpe at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 when she was 19 and alleges in the lawsuit that Sharpe, who is currently 56 years old, sexually assaulted her twice, once in October 2024 and again in January 2025,” USA Today summarized on Monday.
Sharpe through his attorneys has vehemently denied the allegations.
“Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct — especially the gross lie of ‘rape’ — and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail. He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on facts and the law,” attorney Lanny J. Davis said in a statement.
Sharpe also voluntarily shared some text messages between himself and the Jane Doe online.
However, the incident became the butt of jokes during The Pat McAfee Show yesterday when WWE personality Paul Heyman decided to start cracking jokes at Sharpe’s expense.
“Roman Reigns uses everyone in his sight, squeezes the juice out of the fruit until it’s not useful anymore, and then discards them, like he did to me,” Heyman said. “CM Punk does as much good to my reputation as Shannon Sharpe does to ESPN’s.”
“Don’t ‘ooooh’ me, I’m not the one getting sued,” he yelled when the crowd booed.
ESPN is not publicly taking sides, but deciding not to distance themselves from him speaks volumes.
