Shannon Sharpe’s future on ESPN’s “First Take” could also be in jeopardy after he was accused of rape and battery.
Sharpe’s co-host, Stephen A. Smith, addressed the authorized battle on his eponymous podcast Tuesday, suggesting that the community is contemplating taking the previous NFL participant off the air.
Smith, 57, informed listeners that he just lately spoke with ESPN honcho Jimmy Pitaro, who made it clear they have been taking the allegations “very significantly.”
Though the TV persona admittedly “recruited Shannon” to hitch him on the present in June 2023, he famous that he’s “not the boss” and has “no thought what path ESPN and Disney will go in on the subject of this matter.”
“I can inform you I additionally spoke to co-chairman of Disney, the boss, Jimmy Pitaro, who made it very, very clear [that ESPN] is taking this matter very significantly and we’re wanting into this very, very intently and as soon as we collect as many details as we presumably can, we’ll go from there,” he defined.
“And that’s all he mentioned. And I can point out his identify as a result of I acquired his permission to say that.”
Smith mentioned he doesn’t know precisely “what meaning” for Sharpe — however hopes his “good friend” is cleared within the matter.
“In my good world … the case is finally dropped and Shannon is allowed to proceed on ‘First Take’ and proceed to thrive and shine and have an illustrious profession within the podcast stratosphere,” he continued. “In my good world, he strikes on, and one way or the other, a way, we discover this all to be false.”
Nevertheless, he famous that “it doesn’t appear to be that’s the best way issues are about to go down.”
Like ESPN, Smith is ready to have all of the details earlier than making a judgment name.
“Despite the fact that I received love and respect for Shannon Sharpe and I’m sincerely hopeful and prayerful that he’s fully harmless of the allegations which have been levied towards him, I can’t sit right here and converse to his innocence or guilt from a educated place as a result of I’ve nothing to do with this.”
The sports activities broadcaster mentioned he “spoke” with Sharpe and he “emphatically proclaimed his innocence.”
Sharpe was reside on air with Smith Monday when information broke in regards to the bombshell $50 million lawsuit.
In her criticism, Jane Doe claimed that Sharpe brutally sexually assaulted her on the finish of 2024 and once more initially of 2025.
The lady, who’s greater than 30 years youthful than Sharpe, claimed she met the previous athlete at a health club in 2023 and was in a “rocky consensual relationship” with him for almost two years.
Doe alleged that Sharpe “forcibly anally raped her” in October 2023 after she started distancing herself after studying he slept with one other girl.
She claimed he sexually assaulted her once more in January 2025 with out carrying safety.
Sharpe “categorically” denied all of her allegations of “coercion and misconduct, particularly the gross lie of ‘rape,’” and his authorized group launched quite a few express textual content exchanges he allegedly had with Doe from March 2023 to January 2025.
His authorized group claimed the correspondence proved the 2 had “a consensual, grownup relationship that included role-playing, sexual language, and fantasy eventualities explicitly requested by [Doe].”
In response, the lady’s authorized group launched a number of alleged audio recordings between the 2 during which Sharpe threatened to “choke” Doe.
Additionally they launched a textual content message during which the lady purportedly confronted Sharpe in regards to the alleged Jan. 2 assault.
“I cried when u left as a result of I begged you to place a condom on and never put it in my ass and u didn’t hear,” Doe allegedly texted Sharpe, per TMZ.
“I don’t care what our historical past is,” she continued, “no means no shannon.”
Sharpe and the lady entered into mediation to attempt to resolve the problem weeks earlier than the lawsuit made headlines.
Sharpe’s legal professional claimed that Doe “demanded tens of tens of millions of {dollars} … in return for her not publishing” a intercourse tape that either side agree exists.
In the meantime, Doe’s legal professional, Tony Buzbee, informed Web page Six that Sharpe provided his shopper $10 million to settle earlier than issues have been made public.
When you or somebody you realize is affected by any of the problems raised on this story, name the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
