Shannon Sharpe sued for $50m for ‘raping woman and threatening to kill her’ after ‘demanding complete control over her’
Wed,23 Apr 2025 14:59:00
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FIRST Take star Shannon Sharpe has been accused of forcibly sexually assaulting a woman, who is seeking a minimum of $50 million in damages.
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, alleged that after meeting Sharpe at a gym in Los Angeles in January 2023, the former NFL tight end relentlessly pursued her.
Doe, who was 20 years old at the time, alleged that Sharpe called and texted her, demanding she come to his Beverly Glen mansion, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Nevada on Sunday.
The woman revealed in court records that she and Sharpe were eventually involved in a consensual relationship, the filing obtained by The U.S. Sun read.
However, the plaintiff alleges suffering from “controlling and verbal abuse.”
“He demanded complete control over her time and body, expecting her to be at his house on his schedule, at his command, whenever he called,” attorney Tony Buzbee wrote in the lawsuit.
Buzbee, a Texas-based attorney, is famously known for representing more than 20 plaintiffs who came forward with sexual assault allegations against NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson in early 2021.
Sharpe vigorously denied the accusations or misconduct alleged by Doe, which his defense team called “an egregious attempt at blackmail.”
“The lawsuit is a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars,” attorney Lanny Davis, Sharpe’s defense counsel, said in a statement.
“It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations – and it will not succeed.”
“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 the facts and the law.”
ESPN declined to comment when approached by The U.S. Sun.
Sharpe’s defense team released a trove of text message exchanges between their client and the plaintiff dating back to March 2023.
The U.S. Sun is choosing not to publish the contexts of the messages; however, according to Sharpe’s team, it proves the two were involved in a consensual sexual relationship.
In one encounter, Doe alleged she was terrified after getting into an argument with the First Take star, 56, who was yelling at her with a firearm visible in the room.
The plaintiff alleged that Sharpe grabbed her by the back, and threatened to “kill her” after he noticed she tried sharing her location with her friends from her iPhone.
“Sharpe saw her doing this. The moment he realized what she was doing, he grabbed her by the neck and told her, ‘If you ever do that again, I will f**king kill you,'” the lawsuit read.
Despite the alleged violent incident, Doe and Sharpe continued their relationship, but the plaintiff attempted to break things off with the former tight end after he embarrassingly went on Instagram live stream while engaging in sex .
In the live stream, which occurred last September, Sharpe’s 3.3 million followers could hear moans and other sexual comments from the video.
Sharpe, who initially claimed his account had been hacked, admitted that the noises heard were indeed him having intimate relations.
Jane Doe claimed in her lawsuit that after the infamous incident she tried to break things off with Sharpe, which she alleged led to him raping her.
In October 2024, Doe claimed the former Denver Broncos star forced himself on her in her apartment as she cried and sobbed.
The second violent incident allegedly occurred in January, where Doe claimed Sharpe came to her house with promises of delivering Christmas and birthday gifts for her.
However, Sharpe allegedly sexually assaulted her again.
“A woman can say ‘yes’ to consensual sexual relations with a man ninety-nine times, but when she says ‘no’ even once, that ‘no’ means no,” the suit reads.
“Defendant Shannon Sharpe, a man who is accustomed to getting that what he wants, completely fails to understand this basic concept.
“After many months of manipulating and controlling Plaintiff – a woman more than thirty years younger than he – and repeatedly threatening to brutally, choke and violently slap her, Sharpe refused to accept the answer no and raped Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no.'”
The alleged sexual assaults occurred in Nevada, according to attorney Buzbee.
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, alleged that after meeting Sharpe at a gym in Los Angeles in January 2023, the former NFL tight end relentlessly pursued her.
Doe, who was 20 years old at the time, alleged that Sharpe called and texted her, demanding she come to his Beverly Glen mansion, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Nevada on Sunday.
The woman revealed in court records that she and Sharpe were eventually involved in a consensual relationship, the filing obtained by The U.S. Sun read.
However, the plaintiff alleges suffering from “controlling and verbal abuse.”
“He demanded complete control over her time and body, expecting her to be at his house on his schedule, at his command, whenever he called,” attorney Tony Buzbee wrote in the lawsuit.
Buzbee, a Texas-based attorney, is famously known for representing more than 20 plaintiffs who came forward with sexual assault allegations against NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson in early 2021.
Sharpe vigorously denied the accusations or misconduct alleged by Doe, which his defense team called “an egregious attempt at blackmail.”
“The lawsuit is a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars,” attorney Lanny Davis, Sharpe’s defense counsel, said in a statement.
“It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations – and it will not succeed.”
“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 the facts and the law.”
ESPN declined to comment when approached by The U.S. Sun.
Sharpe’s defense team released a trove of text message exchanges between their client and the plaintiff dating back to March 2023.
The U.S. Sun is choosing not to publish the contexts of the messages; however, according to Sharpe’s team, it proves the two were involved in a consensual sexual relationship.
In one encounter, Doe alleged she was terrified after getting into an argument with the First Take star, 56, who was yelling at her with a firearm visible in the room.
The plaintiff alleged that Sharpe grabbed her by the back, and threatened to “kill her” after he noticed she tried sharing her location with her friends from her iPhone.
“Sharpe saw her doing this. The moment he realized what she was doing, he grabbed her by the neck and told her, ‘If you ever do that again, I will f**king kill you,'” the lawsuit read.
Despite the alleged violent incident, Doe and Sharpe continued their relationship, but the plaintiff attempted to break things off with the former tight end after he embarrassingly went on Instagram live stream while engaging in sex .
In the live stream, which occurred last September, Sharpe’s 3.3 million followers could hear moans and other sexual comments from the video.
Sharpe, who initially claimed his account had been hacked, admitted that the noises heard were indeed him having intimate relations.
Jane Doe claimed in her lawsuit that after the infamous incident she tried to break things off with Sharpe, which she alleged led to him raping her.
In October 2024, Doe claimed the former Denver Broncos star forced himself on her in her apartment as she cried and sobbed.
The second violent incident allegedly occurred in January, where Doe claimed Sharpe came to her house with promises of delivering Christmas and birthday gifts for her.
However, Sharpe allegedly sexually assaulted her again.
“A woman can say ‘yes’ to consensual sexual relations with a man ninety-nine times, but when she says ‘no’ even once, that ‘no’ means no,” the suit reads.
“Defendant Shannon Sharpe, a man who is accustomed to getting that what he wants, completely fails to understand this basic concept.
“After many months of manipulating and controlling Plaintiff – a woman more than thirty years younger than he – and repeatedly threatening to brutally, choke and violently slap her, Sharpe refused to accept the answer no and raped Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no.'”
The alleged sexual assaults occurred in Nevada, according to attorney Buzbee.
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