Shannon Sharpe settles lawsuit over alleged sexual assault

Shannon Sharpe reached a settlement with a woman who accused him of sexual assault during their relationship, attorney Tony Buzbee announced Friday.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer had stepped away from his television work to address the lawsuit.
Buzbee represented the woman, who used the pseudonym Jane Doe while seeking $50 million in a lawsuit filed in Nevada in April. She accused Sharpe of sexually assaulting her, battering her and using his fame to control and subjugate her while they were in a relationship.
“On April 20, 2025, The Buzbee Law Firm filed a complaint in Nevada making several allegations against Shannon Sharpe on behalf of our client. Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship,” Buzbee wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Friday. “After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution. All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”
Sharpe’s lawyer had previously said they had offered at least $10 million to settle the claim. They have characterized the accusations as “false and disruptive.”
Details of Friday’s settlement were not released, and Sharpe’s representatives have not commented.
Sharpe began appearing on ESPN’s “First Take” in September 2023. He signed a multi-year contract extension with the company last summer. When he stepped away in April, he called the move temporary and has made it clear he intends to return to a role in national sports media. But it’s unclear whether ESPN will have him back.
A different allegation about Sharpe emerged in April, when Front Office Sports reported he was accused of choking a female production assistant while working for Fox as the co-host of FS1’s “Undisputed.”
Per the report, Sharpe was not sued in the case, and he and Fox settled with the woman for several hundred thousand dollars. Sharpe’s camp denied that the choking incident happened.