Former NFL player and famed podcaster Shannon Sharpe has been named in a civil lawsuit accusing him of repeated acts of sexual and physical violence. The lawsuit, filed on Sunday, has been followed by a damning voice recording allegedly between Shannon and the complainant and may also lead to the release of a sex tape.
The complainant, who is using the alias “Jane Doe”, and her legal team, which includes controversial attorney Tony Buzbee, filed the lawsuit in a Las Vegas district court. The suit details the alleged pattern of abuse she endured during her relationship with Sharp. According to the court document, they were romantically involved for nearly two years.
The plaintiff claims that the relationship began in 2023 when she was 20 and was initially consensual. However, it turned horrific as she allegedly suffered sexual assault, battery, and abuse at the hands of Sharpe.
The plaintiff indicated that Sharpe used threats and manipulation to exert control over her. According to the filing, she was raped multiple times. The lawsuit mentions two specific sexual assault instances, one in October 2024 and another in January of this year. In both instances, she said he continued the assault despite her begging him to stop. The suit describes episodes of choking threats, verbal degradation, and non-consensual sexual acts.
Several hours after the lawsuit was filed, an audio recording was released by TMZ. The recording is allegedly a conversation between Sharpe and the plaintiff, in which he allegedly threatened to choke her. In the released audio, a man believed to be Sharpe can be heard saying, “If you say that word one more time, I’m going to f-cking choke the sh-t out of you when I see you.” When the woman replies that she doesn’t want to be choked, the man responds, “Yes, you do. I don’t think you have a choice in the matter.”
The 56-year-old former NFL tight end denied the allegations. The lawsuit was described by Sharpe and his legal team as a “shakedown” attempt for millions of dollars from Sharpe. In a video, he expressed that he would be “transparent and defend” himself against the allegations.
Sharpe also said that Tony Buzbee is targeting him as he did Jay-Z. He said that a sex tape of him and the plaintiff may be released with a twisted narrative. It was also revealed by one of his attorneys, Lanny J. Davis, that Sharpe and the plaintiff were engaged in a mediation process prior to the lawsuit’s sudden filing, according to the New York Post.
Davis claims his client had agreed to pay the plaintiff up to $10 million to settle the matter privately, and they were shocked when the case was filed. The lawsuit is seeking more than $50 million in punitive damages.
