The sexual assault lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe has apparently been resolved.
ESPN contributor Shannon Sharpe has reached a settlement with the woman accusing him of sexual assault, the latter’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, said on social media Friday. According to Buzbee, the sides have agreed to a “mutually agreed upon resolution” in which they both “acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship.”
Sharpe was sued in April and took a leave of absence from his role on ESPN’s “First Take” shortly after, saying at the time that he intended to return by the start of the NFL preseason — which begins in less than two weeks.
It was the second time he has had to take a leave of absence to address accusations of sexual assault; the previous occurrence was in 2010, when he took a brief leave from his role on the CBS NFL pregame show “The NFL Today.”
Sharpe, who was a traditional TV analyst during his time with CBS, has become one of the most prominent voices in the sports media industry since shifting to punditry — first with FS1 and now with ESPN. Just prior to news breaking of the lawsuit this year, his Club Shay Shay podcast was expected to command a nine-figure deal on the open market.
Sharpe joined ESPN as a “First Take” contributor in 2023, filling a role that had largely been held by Michael Irvin. ESPN dropped Irvin after he was accused of inappropriate behavior by a hotel worker during the 2023 Super Bowl week, an accusation that was far less serious — and one in which the only legal action was taken by Irvin against his accuser.
