Shannon Sharpe has announced he is stepping aside from his ESPN commitments after being hit with a $50m rape lawsuit.
The 56-year-old Sharpe has been accused of rape by a woman who is now in her 20s that he met when she was 19. He denies the allegations.
Sharpe said: ‘My statement is found here and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100% consensual.
‘At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties.
‘I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.
‘I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, fans, friends and colleagues.’
Shannon Sharpe has stepped aside from his duties at ESPN amid his $50m rape lawsuit
Sharpe pictured with First Take host Molly Qerim (center) at a First Take event in Atlanta
ESPN finally broke their silence on the scandalized Sharpe and said in a statement quoted by The Athletic: ‘This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away.’
While Sharpe seems insistent that he will eventually make it back on the airwaves, there are now huge questions on if he will ever return for ESPN.
Vile clips have since been released of Sharpe threatening to ‘choke the s***’ out of the woman, while Sharpe’s lawyer released a trove of texts between the two with one showing that she told him ‘no means no’ after an alleged encounter.
But until now, it has been business as usual for Sharpe, who has remained defiant in the face of the accusations that could ruin his career.
He continued with his First Take appearances, with Wednesday’s absence part of his reguar schedule, the organization said.
On Wednesday night, Sharpe said on social media that he’ll be at the NFL Draft in Green Bay, interviewing legends of the game and some of the first round picks. It remains to be seen now if he really will still show up.
But his place on First Take has fallen under intensifying scrutiny, with his co-host Stephen A. Smith subtly distancing himself from the man he recruited to join him on the show in 2023.
Speaking about the scandal on his own YouTube show, Smith questioned some of the methods Sharpe and his lawyer have taken.
Stephen A. Smith (right) subtly distanced himself from Sharpe earlier in the week
‘On one hand, going on the offensive to defend himself, I completely understand where Shannon Sharpe is coming from,’ Smith said.
‘On the other hand, when his legal team issued out the press release on X, they mentioned her name and revealed some of those explicit text messages, that was uncomfortable, and I don’t know if that’s a strategy that would work.
‘I know, and I can tell you all I spoke to Shannon, not in details, but I spoke to him, and he emphatically proclaims his innocence.’
On Thursday morning, an old clip resurfaced on social media of Sharpe bragging about seemingly sleeping with an OnlyFans model.
‘You know who Sky Bri is Ocho?’ Sharpe is seen asking former Cincinnati Bengals star Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson on their ‘Nightcap’ YouTube podcast.
The name Sharpe mentioned belongs to an OnlyFans model. However, she is not the Jane Doe accusing Sharpe of rape in the aforementioned Nevada lawsuit.
DailyMail.com’s attempts to reach Bri have been unsuccessful. Sharpe’s legal team did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment on Thursday.
