Both lawyers for Shannon Sharpe and his rape accuser confirm the First Take co-host earlier this year offered to pay $10 million to make the allegations go away, yet the former NFL player also says today the whole thing is just “a shakedown.”
Perhaps, but it also seems to be a contradiction in terms – to put it politely.
In an extremely graphic lawsuit filed in Nevada on April 20, Jane Doe claims the 56-year-old Sharpe sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions during a relationship they had that started in an LA gym in 2023. Alleging assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery, as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress, the plaintiff is represented by Houston-based Tony Buzbee, who is behind dozens of assault and abuse lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Asking for a jury trial, the Jane Doe is seeking $50 million in damages.
No stranger to controversy himself, and currently in a bitter battle with Jay-Z over a now dismissed rape case involving the ’99 Problems’ rapper and Combs, Buzbee took to social media Tuesday to get very specific on his client’s behalf as NFL vet Sharpe and his team attacked her credibility.
“On the one hand Mr. Sharpe and his lawyers claim that the case filed by Jane Doe is meritless, yet on the other hand they now have disclosed that Mr. Sharpe offered Jane Doe $10 million in writing not to file her lawsuit,” Buzbee said on Instagram this afternoon. “That is a true statement. Jane Doe was in fact offered $10 million to settle but rejected that offer, choosing instead to proceed with litigation. Sharpe’s team is now trying to discredit and dox her. Sharpe and his team are now, as anticipated, also attacking me. We are not going to be deterred by these tactics.”
Sharpe and his team have denied the allegations and asserted that incidents of rape, choking and more in the 13-page civil suit are being taken out of context and were consensual. To that, they also shattered a rule of such sexual violence cases and blatantly revealed the Jane Doe’s real name online.
Stating Sharpe was “emphatic” in declaring his innocence, Stephen A. Smith said this morning on his own show of what is being alleged of his friend and colleague “is a sad situation.” Before the $10 million figure came out, First Take host and producer Smith also revealed that he had spoken to ESPN boss (and future Disney CEO contender) Jimmy Pitaro about the Sharpe situation and the exec told him they “are taking this matter very seriously and we are looking into this very carefully.”
Additionally, before his attorney Lanny Davis gave a virtual press conference of his own Tuesday decrying the suit, Sharpe posted a video online this morning where he said that Buzbee was “targeting Black men” in reference to the much-accused Combs and Jay-Z. Not addressing the suit on First Take today and calling out Buzbee for trying to “manipulate the media,” Sharpe also said in his video that he would be suing the Texas lawyer and the accuser (who appears on subscription service OnlyFans) for defamation in the near future.
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) April 22, 2025
Noticeably, while stressing “my career is all about real talk and honesty,” ESPN and Club Shay Shay host Sharpe said nothing about that $10 million offer in his short video.
Sharpe’s spin master lawyer Davis, however, did say later in the day that Sharpe had been aiming to pay out “at least $10 million” for Jane Doe’s silence.
Calling the actual lawsuit from the state of Sin City a “big surprise” after talks with the accuser and Buzbee, ex-Bill Clinton confidante Davis pointed to the timing of the action and a more than $100 million new contract Sharpe is likely to be inking now his deal with The Volume podcast network has expired. Davis said “in my opinion that this is a classic definition of blackmail. That gives the greatest leverage to blackmail.” Those remarks follow explicit messages allegedly sent by Doe that Davis made public on Monday to illustrate “a clear picture” of a “consensual, adult relationship that included role-playing, sexual language, and fantasy scenarios explicitly requested” by the plaintiff.
Declaring that Sharpe “has chosen to mislead his lawyers and the public” in his denials, Buzbee late Monday put out a long statement predating Davis’ virtual press conference today.
Without naming a figure at the time on that potential $10 million agreement Buzbee noted yesterday: “A little history: Back in early February, our office contacted Mr. Sharpe on behalf of Jane Doe and broached the subject of a meeting. Multiple conversations took place. Ultimately, a mediation occurred. Mr. Sharpe was represented by different lawyers in that mediation. That mediation process went on for more than six weeks, ultimately leading to Mr. Sharpe making an incredibly significant offer to settle. Ultimately, Jane Doe refused the hefty sum offered by Sharpe and instead filed this case last night, April 20, 2025.”
“Mr. Sharpe’s aggressive approach will instead have the opposite effect. Ms. Doe is not afraid of the truth — she relies upon it,” Buzbee added. “I look forward to presenting the evidence in this case through the judicial process, where the truth matters more than a sports icon’s desperate public spin.”
Representatives for ESPN-owner Disney did not respond to request for comment on Sharpe and the allegation against him. While not named as a defendant, Sharpe makes numerous appearances in a sexual battery and retaliation suit against his former Undisputed co-host Skip Bayless and Fox Sports that an ex-hairdresser on the now cancelled show filed in January.
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