Shannon Sharpe, the Club Shay Shay podcast star who rose to fame as an NFL tight end in the ’90s, has been accused of sexual assault and battery in a new lawsuit. According to NBC News, a woman going by Jane Doe is suing Sharpe for $50 million, claiming that while they were in a relationship in 2024, he filmed them having sex without her consent and shared the videos, intentionally inflicted emotional distress, and raped her. In a statement sent to the Cut and also shared to his X account, Sharpe denied all of the allegations through his lawyer, Lanny J. Davis.
The complaint alleges that Sharpe and Doe were in a “rocky consensual relationship” for two years, that started to unravel in October of last year, after Sharpe accidentally livestreamed himself having sex with another woman. According to the complaint, when Doe “began to pull away from Sharpe,” he continued to pursue her. NBC News reported that the complaint details an incident in which Sharpe allegedly forced Doe to have sex without her consent.
“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. Defendant Shannon Sharpe, a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, completely fails to understand this basic concept,” the complaint reportedly states.
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Doe also claims that Sharpe assaulted her again in January of this year. This time, he allegedly refused to wear a condom, and Doe says she asked him to either stop or put one on.
Jane Doe is represented by attorneys Micah Nash and Tony Buzbee, the latter of whom has gained notoriety for representing many of the plaintiffs accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault. This isn’t the first NFL player he’s helped sue — last year, Buzbee represented more than 20 plaintiffs who sued Deshaun Watson for sexual assault.
This is also not the first time Sharpe has faced sexual-assault allegations. In 2010, Sharpe had a temporary restraining order placed against him when a woman accused him of sexual assault and stalking. The restraining order was later dismissed.
The Cut has reached out to representatives for Jane Doe and will update this post if we hear back.
