The ink isn’t yet dry on the rape lawsuit filed against Shannon Sharpe but the 56-year-old podcaster and ESPN personality is already catching shrapnel on the Worldwide Leader.
‘[Wrestler] CM Punk does as much good to my reputation as Shannon Sharpe does to ESPN’s,’ WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman said on Pat McAfee’s ESPN talk show.
Sharpe has been accused of repeatedly raping his ex-girlfriend, who has now filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Super Bowl winner in Nevada. The Pro Football Hall of Famer has not yet responded to the claims and DailyMail.com’s attempts to contact his attorneys have been unsuccessful.
Monday’s episode of McAfee’s show was shot in Las Vegas, where Wrestlemania 41 took place over the weekend. And because a small army of fans were on hand for the live broadcast, Heyman’s comment was met by loud jeers from the crowd.
‘Don’t ‘OOOOO’ me, I’m not the one getting sued,’ Heyman told the audience as a nervous McAfee tried to move passed the controversial comment.
Sharpe isn’t a full-time ESPN employee, but the popular podcaster does make regular appearances on Stephen A. Smith’s daytime show, First Take. It’s unclear if the current allegations will impact his role with the network or the rumored nine-figure media deal he could be in line for.
Shannon Sharpe, 56, has been accused of repeatedly raping his ex-girlfriend, who has now filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Super Bowl winner in Las Vegas, Nevada
Seth Rollins celebrates his victory with Paul Heyman during WrestleMania 41 Saturday
Sharpe’s accuser, identified as Jane Doe, is claiming the legendary NFL tight end raped her in 2024 and 2025, according to a court filing obtained by DailyMail.com. TMZ was the first to report the lawsuit.
The accuser claims she was abused by Sharpe over their year-long relationship. She also claims that it was another woman, and not her, who was caught having sex with Sharpe when the Pro Football Hall of Famer accidentally streamed live audio of the encounter on social media in September.
Sharpe is first accused of raping Jane Doe the following month, allegedly forcing himself on her as she ‘was crying and sobbing.’
He allegedly raped her again in January after arriving at her home with promises of Christmas and birthday gifts.
‘The lawsuit filed under the pseudonym ‘Jane Doe’ lays out a pattern of intimidation, manipulation, and abuse, including allegations that Sharpe repeatedly threatened to choke and slap Jane Doe,’ read a statement from the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee.
The couple met in 2023 when she was 20 and he was in his mid-50s, according to the filing. The woman claims Sharpe told her he would ‘buy her fake t**s’ if she won a weight-loss competition with him. From there, she claims, Sharpe pursued her vigorously, calling, texting and ‘demanding she come to his Beverly Glen mansion.’
Curiously, Sharpe demanded she sign a non-disclosure agreement when their relationship began, only to drop that request when she repeatedly refused.
‘… Sharpe made another demand—she had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, an ”NDA,”’ reads the filing obtained by DailyMail.com. ‘He refused to explain why and would not let her see a copy of the proposed agreement. He simply insisted she sign one. Plaintiff refused. After multiple attempts, when he realized she would not cooperate, he finally dropped the issue.’
Bayless (left) and Sharpe, pictured in 2016, had a very public fallout on their Undisputed show
Jane Doe describes their relationship as consensual, but claims he ‘demanded complete control over her time and body.’ Often he was ‘expecting her to be at his house on his schedule, at his command, whenever he called,’ according to the filing.
She became particularly fearful of Sharpe during an argument during which there was a handgun visible in the room.
‘Plaintiff tried sharing her location with friends from her iPhone — just in case,’ the filings state. ‘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***ing kill you.”’
A popular podcast host and ESPN personality, Sharpe is rumored to be in line for a massive new deal.
Front Office Sports is reporting that Sharpe has received multiple offers as his current media deal with Colin Cowherd’s platform, The Volume, is set to expire. Furthermore, sources tell FSO Sharpe’s next deal is expected to exceed $100 million, which happens to be the reported amount Smith got in his recent contract negotiations with ESPN.
That might come as a surprise, but Sharpe does have a massive audience. A recent interview with comedian Katt Williamson hit nearly 90 million views and Club Shay Shay currently boasts around 4 million subscribers, making it among the most popular podcasts in sports and entertainment.
Regardless of whether Sharpe’s next deal surpasses $100 million in total value, it will assuredly exceed the $22 million he made over 14 NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.
DailyMail.com has reached out to attorneys who previously represented Sharpe in an unrelated lawsuit. Buzbee is best known for representing 20 women who accused NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment.
The brother of former Green Bay Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe, Shannon played at little-known Savannah State before being taken by the Denver Broncos as an afterthought in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft.
But instead of being a backup or role player, Sharpe soon established himself as one of the most productive tight ends in football history despite his modest size at just 6-foot-2, 228-pounds.
He would go on to win two Super Bowls with the Broncos and another with the Baltimore Ravens before turning to Denver to finish his career in 2003.
