Shannon Sharpe is stepping away temporarily from ESPN amid sexual assault lawsuit
LAS VEGAS Former NFL star Shannon Sharpe disclosed Thursday he is stepping away temporarily from his ESPN duties while he deals with what he called false charges in a million civil lawsuit filed against him by a woman who alleges he raped and threatened her Sharpe mentioned in a report that he would return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason The first preseason battle is set for July I will be devoting this time to my family and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive assertions set against me Sharpe reported adding I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing assistance I have received from my family fans friends and colleagues Attorneys filed the lawsuit Sunday in Clark County Nevada for a woman listed in court documents as Jane Doe The lawsuit also accuses Sharpe of using physical force on her and inflicting emotional distress The woman first met Sharpe at a gym in Los Angeles in when she was and a nearly two-year relationship followed according to court documents Sharpe is accused of raping the woman in October and again in January the documents commented On Monday Sharpe had posted a declaration from his lawyer on X saying the relationship was consensual and calling the lawsuit a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Sharpe for millions of dollars Sharpe was a four-time All-Pro tight end who played on two Super Bowl-winning teams with Denver and one with Baltimore over seasons from to He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Related Articles Running backs are en vogue again in the NFL Will Broncos buck tradition and pick a first-round back Renck Broncos Country trust Sean Payton to do right by Bo Nix in NFL draft Broncos Journal How GM George Paton navigated spring of heavy attrition came out feeling the most of prepared for NFL draft NFL mock draft Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders slides three RBs land in first round Broncos NFL mock draft tracker What national experts predict Denver will do Sharpe retired as the NFL s all-time leader among tight ends in receptions yards receiving and touchdowns Those records have since been broken Sharpe has been a staple on TV and social media since retiring He left FS s sports debate show Undisputed in and joined ESPN soon afterward Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis
