Following rape allegations, a $50 million lawsuit, and a derailed multimillion-dollar settlement, new reports claim that Shannon Sharpe has been accused of choking a female production assistant and a second rape allegation by a woman who identified herself as his ex.
With these mounting accusations, the NFL Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst now finds himself in hot water—prompting some to wonder whether he could be heading down a path similar to that of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, whose empire has been rocked by ongoing legal battles and public backlash.
While the claims against Sharpe have yet to be confirmed, there's no denying they’ve already stirred significant controversy, drawing parallels to the legal troubles faced by Diddy.
So, will Sharpe follow the same path as Diddy?
The $50M Lawsuit Against Shannon Sharpe
Sharpe is facing a $50 million civil lawsuit accusing him of rape and battery.
The plaintiff, a 21-year-old woman identified as Jane Doe, filed the lawsuit on Sunday, April 20, in Clark County, Nevada, alleging that the former Denver Broncos tight end assaulted her twice, once in October 2024 and in January 2025, and inflicted emotional distress.
The accuser claims Sharpe became violent throughout their nearly two-year relationship, threatening to kill her during one incident and recording their sexual encounters without their consent.
“Sharpe flew into fits of anger when Plaintiff noted his infidelity to their relationship or called him out about his extraneous activities,” the lawsuit read. “What had once been manipulation, control, and intimidation now became something far more dangerous and sinister. Sharpe even figured out how to get into Doe’s apartment complex without her permission.”
Sharpe’s legal team, led by attorney Lanny J. Davis, has vehemently denied the allegations and described the lawsuit as a “blatant set-up.”
They even released the former couple’s exchange of explicit text messages to prove their consensual relationship that involved role-playing and sexual fantasy scenarios initiated by Jane Doe.
Davis also revealed Sharpe offered a $10 million settlement before the lawsuit was filed, calling the case a “shakedown” driven by financial motives.
Choking Female Production Assistant
Years before the bombshell $50 million lawsuit, the 56-year-old former professional footballer allegedly choked a female production assistant at Fox Sports 1.
Two insiders claimed to Front Office Sports that Sharpe physically assaulted the woman in the workplace when he co-hosted the Undisputed talk show between 2016 and 2023.
However, one source claimed the football legend settled with the employee for several hundred thousand dollars and no lawsuit was filed against him regarding the alleged incident.
Sharpe’s representative, on the other hand, denied the claims, insisting no such thing happened.
“There was no incident of choking involving Shannon on the FS1 set,” the spokesperson said. “On one occasion, he and a few colleagues were involved in some light physical interaction in a playful context. Fox Sports later chose to resolve the matter privately.”
Second Rape Allegation
Sharpe’s former girlfriend of nearly a decade, Michele Bundy Evans, also accused his ex of rape and filed a $4 million defamation lawsuit against him in late 2023 for defamation, libel, and slander. He also allegedly threatened to ruin her if she ever spoke out about the incident.
According to court documents obtained by The US Sun, Evans pursued legal action after Sharpe divulged their ongoing legal battle on television after news broke that she filed a restraining order accusing him of sexual assault and stalking.
In the undisclosed lawsuit, Evans claimed Sharpe forced her into her knees and sexually assaulted her before raping her in 2010 after they got into an argument due to his alleged infidelity.
The suit continued that she then sought legal protection after Sharpe threatened to “ruin” her if she publicly disclosed the incident.
However, the restraining order was dropped shortly after it was filed after she suffered another harassment at home with her daughter due to her decision to go after Sharpe.
Sharpe’s legal team then refuted Evans’ claims, calling her pending lawsuit “nonsense.”
“She could not find a lawyer to take her case and if you read her complaint, you’ll see it is filled with nonsense,” Vincent Morris, Sharpe’s attorney, said. “Shannon has had no contact with her for many years and we understand that she is still on probation after serving three years in prison.”
With this turn of events, Evans could not help but fear for Sharpe’s latest accuser “because things are going to happen to her” due to her lawsuit.
“That was horrifying because things are going to happen to her because of that,” she said. “I still get it to this day, and I went through a lot of things, as you can see in the complaint, that actually even stemmed from it.”
The Repercussions and Career Impact on Shannon Sharpe’s Legacy
Unfortunately, Sharpe is now feeling the repercussions and career impact of the allegations against him and will not return to ESPN’s First Take in the meantime.
According to Deadline, the network has decided to place Sharpe on hiatus, suspending his regular Monday and Tuesday slot on the sports talk show.
According to a corporate source, ESPN intends to “further investigate” the matter, including the lawsuit, Sharpe’s claim that it is a “shakedown,” and their relationship, which he described as untraditional but consensual.
Davis’ claim about the $10 million settlement also “raised concerns.”
Sharpe, on the other hand, released a statement, saying he would “temporarily step aside from his ESPN duties” but planned to return before the NFL season.
“I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me,” he wrote. “I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.”
Later, an ESPN spokesperson revealed they agreed with “Shannon’s decision to step away.”
“This is a serious situation,” the spokesman added.
Drawing Parallels to Diddy
With the cases of rape and sexual assault and both a legend in their own fields, Sharpe’s situation is now drawing parallels to Diddy.
Diddy, a music icon and media mogul, has recently seen his legacy crumble amid a slew of lawsuits and disturbing accusations ranging from sexual misconduct to violent behavior.
Both cases also involve attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents plaintiff Jane Doe and is also behind dozens of assault and abuse lawsuits against Diddy. He is also known for targeting celebrities in high-stakes litigation.
However, it cannot be denied that Sharpe’s case is far different from Diddy's in terms of scale.
Diddy faces over a hundred sexual assault claims spanning decades, including sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and involves multiple victims.
So far, Sharpe is only facing a single accuser in a civil suit. Hopefully, his case will not be as bad as Diddy’s as people have already seen that the combination of celebrity, power, and controversy can lead to a rapid and very public decline.