ESPN pundit Shannon Sharpe said Thursday that he will step away from his role on the network as he faces allegations of sexual assault.
Sharpe, who was sued Sunday by a woman alleging sexual assault, said on social media Thursday that he is stepping aside “temporarily” in order to deal with “these false and disruptive allegations” and plans to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason this summer.
He previously appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” as usual on Monday and Tuesday.
Sharpe has recently been riding a wave of popularity thanks to his “Club Shay Shay” podcast and his appearances on “First Take.” The Hall of Fame TE began his broadcasting career as a traditional studio analyst for “The NFL Today” on CBS before shifting to punditry as co-host of “Undisputed” on FS1, working alongside Skip Bayless — who is currently being sued by a former FS1 hairstylist for making unwanted sexual advances.
Sharpe, it should be noted, was not named in the Fox Sports lawsuit — which also accused executive Charlie Dixon of sexual misconduct and FS1 host Joy Taylor of creating a hostile work environment. (That is one of two active sexual misconduct lawsuits against Fox Sports, with former host Julie Stewart-Binks also accusing Dixon.)
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, Sharpe faced at least one allegation of inappropriate behavior during his FS1 tenure, as he and Fox reportedly paid “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to a female production assistant he was accused of choking. In addition — as Glasspiegel noted Thursday and as was reported widely at the time — Sharpe was accused of sexual assault in 2010 and took a brief leave of absence from his CBS role as a result.
On “First Take,” Sharpe is largely filling a role that had been occupied previously by Michael Irvin, whose tenure as a regular guest on the show ended amidst legal issues two years ago. Ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl, Irvin was accused by a hotel worker of making inappropriate comments — a far less serious accusation than the one Sharpe is now facing — and never again appeared on ESPN.
It is not unprecedented for sports TV personalities to continue working amidst such allegations, but the most memorable example did not work out favorably for those involved. When Marv Albert was arrested for sexual assault in 1997, he continued to work in his NBC role throughout the then-ongoing NBA Playoffs and even into the start of the NFL season, which coincided with a lurid and public trial. NBC fired him after he pled out. (He was, of course, later rehired.)
