Shannon Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl champion, NFL Hall of Famer, and one of sports media’s most recognizable voices, is now at the center of a high-stakes legal battle. Known for his fiery commentary on ESPN’s First Take and his podcast Club Shay Shay (full of viral moments like his interview with comedian Katt Williams), Sharpe has built a post-football empire that now faces intense scrutiny.
A Nevada woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, has filed a lawsuit in Las Vegas district court accusing Sharpe of rape, threats of violence, and emotional abuse during a two-year relationship. The lawsuit, filed by high-profile attorney Tony Buzbee in Las Vegas district court on April 20, seeks damages of $50 million for sexual assault, battery, and mental anguish. Here’s what you need to know.
What does the lawsuit state?
Jane Doe alleges that Sharpe first approached her at a gym in Los Angeles back in January 2023. At the time, she was nineteen years old. She noticed that Sharpe was watching her as she did her workouts and didn’t know who he exactly was, but claims she found him “physically intimidating.” Eventually, he introduced himself, and she gave him her number after he insisted.
Over the next couple of weeks, Sharpe allegedly contacted her frequently, and once she eventually decided to link up with him, the media personality asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). She refused multiple times, and eventually, he let the issue go and invited her to his house.
The next two years of their relationship included numerous alleged violent and threatening acts on Sharpe’s end. These include Sharpe getting into Jane Doe’s apartment complex without her permission and an incident where he was yelling at the unnamed woman with a firearm present.
“Terrified for her safety, Plaintiff tried sharing her location with friends from her iPhone — just in case. But 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****** kill you,’” the document states.
The lawsuit mentions the IG Live from last September showing Sharpe having sex with another woman (claimed by the suit to be intentional), which allegedly emotionally harmed Jane Doe and made her fear for her sexual health, prompting her to distance herself from him. It also mentions a separate suit filed in 2023 by Michelle Evans.
Evans, who claims to have had a decade-long relationship with Sharpe, accused him of emotional abuse, defamation, and sexual assault. Evans alleged that Sharpe assaulted her during a 2010 argument and engaged in behavior “eerily similar” to the current claims.
Sharpe allegedly recorded their sexual encounters without Doe’s consent, shared them with others, and told her he wanted to do things to her that would “make no other man want her” as well. He allegedly sexually assaulted Jane Doe twice in the Las Vegas area — once last October and then again a couple of months ago in January.
“Sharpe made it clear that what Doe wanted was of no moment, that Sharpe would get what he wanted, when he wanted it,” the lawsuit reads.
Shannon Sharpe responds to the lawsuit
Shannon Sharpe responded to the lawsuit on April 21 with a statement posted to his X account, including some of the sexually explicit text messages he claims are from Gabriela Zuniga—allegedly the previously unidentified Jane Doe in the lawsuit. Her identity has not been officially confirmed by her attorney, Tony Buzbee.
“Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct — especially the gross lie of ‘rape’ — and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail,” the statement reads. “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,” his counsel, lawyer Lanny J. Davis, said in the post.
Sharpe also posted a video addressing the situation, calling the lawsuit a “shakedown.”
“I’m going to be open, transparent and defend myself, because this isn’t right,” he said.
After accusing Buzbee of having a history of “targeting Black men” (using Jay-Z as a recent example), allegedly filing a fraudulent lawsuit and threatening to sue for defamation, he discussed a video clip that he felt would be released to the public soon.
“I believe he’s going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and play into every stereotype you could possibly imagine…That video should actually be 10 minutes or so. Hey, Tony, instead of releasing your edit, put the whole video out. I don’t have it, or I would myself…” he said.
Davis supported his client’s claims, revealing that Sharpe had previously offered Jane Doe up to $10 million to settle the matter before it reached court, an offer she declined.
“…This is a classic case of blackmail. The plaintiff demanded tens of millions of dollars in a proceeding that’s called mediation. In return for her not publishing this tape, which she showed the lawyers for Mr. Sharpe…” Davis said.
Buzbee eventually responded to the $10 million claim in the caption of an Instagram post, breaking down why Sharpe and his counsel are allegedly in the wrong on April 22.
“On the one hand Mr. Sharpe and his lawyers claim that the case filed by Jane Doe is meritless, yet on the other hand they now have disclosed that Mr. Sharpe offered Jane Doe $10 million in writing not to file her lawsuit. That is a true statement. Jane Doe was in fact offered $10 million to settle but rejected that offer, choosing instead to proceed with litigation. Sharpe’s team is now trying to discredit and dox her. Sharpe and his team are now, as anticipated, also attacking me. We are not going to be deterred by these tactics,” the lawyer stated.
Ultimately, an audio clip from an argument between Sharpe and Jane Doe was released the same day as Buzbee’s IG post, allowing the public to hear it and form their own conclusions.
An audio clip is revealed
In an audio clip released by attorney Tony Buzbee to multiple media outlets on Tuesday, Shannon Sharpe can allegedly be heard threatening Jane Doe, saying, “I’ll f****** choke the s*** out of you when I see you,” after she asked him not to manipulate her.
Davis dismissed the clip as “edited in a warped or distorted way,” though he did confirm that Sharpe and the plaintiff engaged in sexual role-play. Davis acknowledged that Sharpe used the word “choking” during a heated moment, but insisted it was never meant to be taken literally.
Buzbee, however, did not hold back.
In a public statement shared via Instagram, he addressed the existence of a video previously unmentioned in the lawsuit. “An incredibly damning video does indeed exist,” he wrote. “That video, which will be played to the jury, is extremely problematic for Mr. Sharpe. Sharpe’s team, as I anticipated, disclosed the existence of this video in an effort to try and get ahead of it — that effort will fall flat.”
Buzbee then accused Sharpe of refusing to take responsibility for his actions, instead misleading others, doxing Jane Doe, and trying to shame her into silence despite their 30-year age difference.
Following the release of the audio, Sharpe announced that he would be “stepping away” from his ESPN duties to focus on defending himself against the lawsuit. He stated that he hopes to return to the studio in time for the start of the NFL preseason on August 7.
As the legal battle unfolds, both sides continue to release damaging claims and counterclaims, fueling an already volatile case. While Sharpe prepares for a fight in court and in the public eye, the woman at the center of the lawsuit stands firm, with her legal team vowing to present what they call a deeply troubling pattern of abuse. The case is now poised to head toward a jury trial, where the truth — and the consequences — will ultimately be decided.
