Op-Ed: Shannon Sharpe’s Fumbles Only Raise More Questions
NFL Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe is facing mounting scrutiny after a $50 million civil lawsuit was filed against him by a woman identified as Jane Doe, accusing him of sexual assault, harassment, battery, and emotional distress. The details of the case crack back open criticism of Sharpe’s treatment of Black women.
But before we even go there, further complicating Sharpe’s denial is leaked audio published by the New York Post, allegedly capturing Sharpe threatening to “f–king choke the s–t out of” the plaintiff (a white woman, who Sharpe essentially outed during his initial response) during an explicit phone call. When the woman pushed back against the coercive language, the voice identified as Sharpe responded, “I don’t think you have a choice.” His legal team claims the conversation reflects consensual role-play. The plaintiff argues otherwise.
According to reports, the plaintiff claims in court documents that she met Sharpe at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 at 19 years old, beginning what she describes as a “consensual but rocky” relationship that spiraled into nonconsensual acts, coercion, and secret recordings. The suit alleges that Sharpe relentlessly pursued the plaintiff after she began distancing herself from him, following the accidental leak of footage showing Sharpe in a sexual act with another woman on Instagram Live in September 2024.
Sharpe has categorically denied the allegations. His attorney, Lanny J. Davis, issued a statement calling the lawsuit a “blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars,” and labeled the claims “filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations.”
Davis insists the relationship was consensual, adult, and involved role-playing and explicit exchanges initiated by the plaintiff. He claims the woman is weaponizing the media and legal system in an attempt to blackmail Sharpe, especially convenient timing, as Sharpe’s poised to sign a massive new media deal post-The Volume exit.
However, both Sharpe’s legal team and the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, confirmed that Sharpe earlier offered $10 million in an attempt to settle the matter privately—an offer the plaintiff rejected.
The Nevada lawsuit seeks a jury trial and $50 million in damages. Buzbee, who’s facing scrutiny of his own after attempting to shakedown Jay-Z over false allegations and who recently withdrew from the high-profile assault case involving Sean “Diddy” Combs, contends that Sharpe’s offer and subsequent attempts to discredit the plaintiff reflect “classic intimidation tactics, not innocence,”– he should know after his frivolous case against Jay-Z resulted in him being denied admission to practice in the Southern District of New York, where many of his lawsuits were filed.
During a media conference call, Davis also added that there will be a legal action filed against the plaintiff, ensuring that Buzbee would also face suit, eventually.
“There will be a counterclaim,” Davis said. “She will be held accountable for a willful and vicious accusation. She’s not protected because it’s in a filing in a lawsuit. She will get a judgment against her in a court of law. And that will come from our counterclaim.”
Davis added that Buzbee won’t have a lawsuit against him for now, because there’s no proof he knowingly pursued a false claim.
“We don’t know whether Buzbee is aware that the allegations made by the plaintiffs are willfully false,” Davis said. “No lawyer can present a complaint that contains knowingly false allegations. I’ll give Mr. Buzbee the benefit of the doubt that he believes his plaintiff. But we are saying that this plaintiff is lying, she knows she’s lying, she knows this was a consensual relationship.”
For Sharpe, this case also reopens long-standing criticism of his posture toward Black women—criticism that resurfaced recently after a separate controversy in which Sharpe mocked a Black woman’s hair during a heated online exchange. When challenged by a Black female commenter over his defense of WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark. Sharpe responded with a disparaging comment about her hair, prompting accusations of him being “anti-Black.”
The exchange reignited broader conversations about the persistent disrespect Black women face—even from Black men, particularly those who are quick to uplift women outside of their community while degrading the women who often stand in their defense.
Historically, Black women have borne the emotional and political labor of defending Black men against systems designed to destroy them, whether through false accusations, legal lynchings, or character assassinations. From Emmett Till to Central Park Five to today’s cancel culture battlegrounds, Black women have consistently been on the front lines, advocating, organizing, and protecting Black men’s humanity, but the question remains—where is that same energy in return? Not just when it’s convenient, but in moments like these, when accountability and respect should matter most.
Posting a video denying the claims, Sharpe vowed to sue the plaintiff and her attorney for defamation, saying:
“To my family, friends, supporters, and colleagues, I want to speak to you directly and from the heart,” Sharpe said. “This is a shakedown. I’m gonna be open, transparent, and defend myself, because this isn’t right.
“This is all being ‘orchestrated’” by Tony Buzbee, who has targeted Jay-Z. Buzbee allegedly targets Black men, and 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 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. You know what happened, and you’re trying to manipulate the media.
“The encounter in question took place during the day at her invitation, and now that appears to be a deliberate setup, coordinated by Gabbi, also known as Karli on OnlyFans. Gabbi and Tony Buzbee want 50 million dollars, what they’re getting is sued for defamation and trying to take me down. My career is all about real talk and honesty. I know my family and fans know exactly what this is about, and I’m going to be out there telling you whatever I need to say, just like I always do. I love all you guys. Thanks.”
Most recently, Sharpe announced he would be leaving ESPN until the NFL preseason.
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