Additional details have emerged following reports of a lawsuit being filed against Shannon Sharpe.
The ESPN analyst and podcast host is being accused of rape in a $50 million lawsuit in which a Jane Doe is claiming that Sharpe sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.
According to the documents, per TMZ, Sharpe met the woman in question, then 20, at a gym in Los Angeles in 2023, and offered to “buy her fake t**s” if she won a weight loss competition with him. She claims they eventually got involved consensually after he pursued her relentlessly via calls and text messages, but then he got controlling and verbally abusive once they got together.
🚨HORRIFIC DETAILS🚨#NFL legend Shannon Sharpe is being sued for 50 million dollars by a Jane Doe after alleged rapes: she is alleging assault, sexual assault, battery, sexual battery, & intentional infliction of emotional distress.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 21, 2025
Doe met Sharpe in 2023 at a gym in Los… pic.twitter.com/ZpVJLFekfS
Her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, states the former NFL tight end “demanded complete control over her time and body, expecting her to be at his house on his schedule, at his command, whenever he called.”
The suit also claims that the woman once tried sharing her location with friends from her phone due to concerns for her safety, and Sharpe threatened to kill her when he realized what she was doing.
She notes there was a firearm in sight during one of their prior arguments.
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Shannon Sharpe Being Sued Following Reports Of Major Deal
Jane Doe admitted that she continued seeing Sharpe despite the verbal abuse, but tried breaking things off after he accidentally went live on Instagram while having sex with someone else. He is alleged to have forced himself on her multiple times thereafter.
She says he first did so at her apartment last October, having sex with her, bereft of her consent, while she cried and sobbed.
The complainant said it happened again in January after he came over to her place, having promised to bring her Christmas and birthday gifts.
The suit, filed in Nevada on Sunday, comes just days after reports that Sharpe is nearing a $100 million podcast deal. He has yet to reply to the allegations.
