NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe accused of sexual assault, battery in $50 million lawsuit

Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe has been accused of sexual assault and battery in a $50 million lawsuit filed on Sunday, according to multiple reports. The former NFL player denied all accusations in a statement through his attorney on Monday, calling the civil suit an attempt to “blackmail” him. 

According to the lawsuit obtained by ProFootballTalk, Sharpe was accused of assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery. The 13-page complaint, filed in a Nevada state court, accused the three-time Super Bowl champion of engaging “in the intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Shannon Sharpe (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

The plaintiff claimed that the two began a “rocky consensual relationship” sometime in 2023, which lasted around two years. According to USA Today, the plaintiff was 19 at the time that she met Sharpe. She claimed she was sexually assaulted on two occasions, once in October 2024 and again in January of this year. 

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The complaint accused Sharpe of “manipulating and controlling Plaintiff” and making threats of violence against her. 

“A woman can say ‘yes’ to consensual sexual relations with a man ninety-nine times, but when she says ‘no’ even once, that ‘no’ means no,” the complaint read, via ProFootballTalk’s reporting. “Defendant Shannon Sharpe, a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, completely fails to understand this basic concept. After many months of manipulating and controlling Plaintiff—a woman more than thirty years younger than he—and repeatedly threatening to brutally choke and violently slap her, Sharpe refused to accept the answer no and raped Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no.’”

The woman is seeking $50 million and damages and is being represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who won settlements in favor of the women who accused NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson of assault.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (AP Photo/Chris Szagola/File)

NFL GREAT SHANNON SHARPE ‘EMBARRASSED’ OVER LIVE STREAMED SEX ACT, RECEIVES OFFER FROM ADULT WEBSITE

Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, responded to the lawsuit in a lengthy statement the former tight end shared to his social media accounts. In the message, Davis shared sexually explicit messages that he said the plaintiff sent to Sharpe.   

Davis called the lawsuit “a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars.”

“It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations and it will not succeed. In her effort to extract a large financial settlement, [plaintiff] presented Mr. Sharpe with a secretly recorded video of a consensual sexual encounter. We believe the video has been heavily edited and taken entirely out of context, crafted to falsely portray a consensual act as non-consensual.”

Davis said releasing the messages between the plaintiff and Sharpe “clearly indicate the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.” 

Shannon Sharpe (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

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“Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct – especially the gross lie of ‘rape’ – and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail,” Davis continued. 

“He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on the facts and the law.”

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