Things are shaky for Shannon Sharpe, the former NFL star-turned-TV personality, who is facing a $50M civil suit filed in Nevada by attorney Tony Buzbee. The plaintiff, appearing as Jane Doe in the file, accuses Sharpe of sexual assault, battery, emotional abuse, and unauthorized recording and distribution of intimate encounters during their two-year relationship. Sharpe has vehemently denied all allegations, claiming this lawsuit is an attempted shakedown filled with false accusations. Moreover, text messages and recorded phone calls have emerged that have produced even more questions surrounding this claim. Below, we’ll break down the allegations and lawsuit, along with the responses from both parties. 

A civil lawsuit filed against sports commentator and former NFL star Shannon Sharpe alleges a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse, physical violence, and manipulation that began in 2023 when the now-56-year-old met a 19-year-old woman at a Los Angeles gym. The woman alleges that Sharpe “incessantly pursued” her after they initially met. She claims he initiated a relationship where the plaintiff visited his home as often as four times a week. During this period, she claims he would routinely “treat her like an object.”

The lawsuit claims that incidents of abuse, including choking, death threats, and nonconsensual recording of sexual acts that were allegedly shared with others, became repeated in their relationships. Furthermore, she claims there was a pattern of emotional degradation, citing one particular incident where Sharpe allegedly told her that he wanted to “make no other man want her.” She also claimed that it was around this time that she began having a heightened sense of fear and entrapment because Sharpe allegedly learned how to access her apartment complex without permission. 

One particularly shocking allegation involved Sharpe chastising her with a gun visible in the room. When the plaintiff attempted to discreetly share her location with friends, she claims Sharpe noticed and grabbed her by the neck, threatening, “If you ever do that again, I will fucking kill you.”

The lawsuit also mentions the September 2024 incident when Sharpe accidentally went on Instagram Live while having sex with a different woman. The plaintiff said that she wasn’t involved, but she claims she suffered emotional distress and fear for her sexual health. And while Sharpe stated that the incident was an accident, she doesn’t believe it to be. The lawsuit states that on October 6, 2024, Sharpe forcibly performed oral sex on her and then anally raped her as she sobbed. Another assault allegedly occurred on January 2, 2025, involving forced oral sex followed by rape. “As soon as he penetrated her, Plaintiff screamed and sobbed,” the suit reads, adding that the assault only ended when Sharpe ejaculated.

Sharpe, through his attorney Lanny J. Davis, has categorically denied the allegations, asserting that the relationship was entirely consensual and that the claims are “viciously false.” In an effort to refute the accusations, Sharpe’s legal team released text messages purportedly exchanged between him and Jane Doe that they claim prove a consensual and sexual relationship that included role-playing scenarios. Sharpe also shared a video himself where he called the lawsuit a shakedown and another attempt by Buzbee to target wealthy Black men.

Davis also addressed an audio recording released by Jane Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, in which a man, allegedly Sharpe, makes threatening and aggressive remarks. Davis contends that the audio was taken out of context and does not pertain to any sexual activity. He also emphasized that the recording took place during a heated argument unrelated to the allegations.

The legal battle involving Shannon Sharpe escalated after attorney Tony Buzbee released a second audio clip to TMZ. The recording allegedly features Sharpe making violent threats toward the woman suing him for rape. This unsettling exchange serves as a key piece of evidence for Buzbee.

In the newly released audio, Sharpe and the accuser engage in a tense phone conversation regarding his trip to Los Angeles. When she hesitates to go out, referencing fear of being choked, Sharpe responds disturbingly: “I might choke you in public… Big Black guy chokes small white woman.” The woman quickly pushes back, saying “Not a good look, Shannon,” but Sharpe doubles down, allegedly stating, “It’s not a good look the s–t you did to me.”

In response to the audio, Sharpe’s legal team released text messages purportedly sent by the woman in October 2023. One message reads, “Put a dog collar around my neck and choke me with it while ur f—–g me,” which the defense argues supports a consensual and sexual dynamic. They insist the audio clip is a “tiny excerpt” taken out of context and does not reflect the mutual nature of their interactions. Sharpe’s team is pushing the narrative that this was a toxic, yet consensual relationship, far from the criminal allegations at hand.

Attorney Tony Buzbee, known for representing multiple women in high-profile assault cases, dismissed Sharpe’s narrative outright. He described the audio as a powerful glimpse into the accuser’s reality, showing a man using fear and intimidation as tools of control. In Buzbee’s words, “Sharpe made a big, stupid mistake by retaliating against my client,” and he believes this recording will be pivotal in court. Buzbee has made it clear that this case is about sustained abuse and a pattern of predatory behavior more than simply a messy relationship. Buzbee also alleged that Sharpe previously offered the plaintiff $10M.

Despite these explosive developments, Shannon Sharpe continues to appear on ESPN’s First Take alongside co-host Stephen A. Smith. Neither ESPN nor Sharpe has publicly addressed the audio clip’s contents on-air, and the network has refused to comment when pressed by outlets. However, Stephen A. Smith directly spoke on the matter, claiming that he talked to both Sharpe and ESPN bosses. 

“I can tell you I also spoke to co-chairman of Disney, the boss, Jimmy Pitaro, who made it very, very clear that [ESPN is] taking this matter very seriously and we are looking into this very, very closely and once we gather as many facts as we possibly can, we will go from there,” he said. “I have no idea what direction ESPN and Disney will go in when it comes to this matter,” Smith continued. “All I do know is I won’t be me making the decision. It will be others upstairs. In the end, all of us have someone to answer to. No matter how maverick we try to be and we own our own business… there are a bosses. That’s the situation that unfortunately that Shannon Sharpe finds himself in at this particular moment in time.”