The snowball of allegations against Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe is growing. And his lawyers have spoken out about the latest claim to come to light.

As explained by The U.S. Sun, Michele Bundy Evans sued Sharpe in 2023. She claims defamation based on things Sharpe allegedly said after she obtained a restraining order against him more than a decade ago. The article includes graphic details of an alleged sexual assault of Evans by Sharpe in 2010.

The Evans lawsuit has prompted Sharpe’s legal team to issue another statement.

“It should be of no surprise that when someone famous is in the news, all sorts of people crawl out of the woodwork to share their connection to that person in an attempt to profit from that alleged relationship,” attorney Mitchell Schuster said in the statement. “In many cases those stories or accusations are nothing more than old news, fanciful exaggerations, or sometimes blatant misrepresentations of fact. They are shared on social media or fed to reporters with intentional factual omissions and no regard for the truth. This is obviously purposeful, designed to create a fabricated narrative. This is exactly what is happening to Shannon Sharpe and the resurrection of the case involving Michele Evans is a perfect example. Sadly, Ms. Evans became obsessed with Shannon and decided to manufacture a claim against him. When she could not find a lawyer to pursue her outrageous story, she filed a civil complaint on her own that is completely devoid of merit. The fact is that Shannon has had no contact with this person for many years and it is our understanding that she is still on probation after serving 3 years in prison for trying to kill her husband so that she could hopefully pursue a relationship with Shannon.”

The Evans lawsuit was mentioned in the latest lawsuit against Sharpe, which was filed on April 20, 2025. The name and number of the Evans case was included in a footnote on page 4 of the new complaint.

“Following in Ms. Evan’s footsteps, Gabi a/k/a Karli is the latest person trying to exploit her connection with Shannon,” Schuster said in the statement. “From the onset, Shannon has been crystal clear about the nature of his relationship with Gabi Zuniga. For the sake of clarity, please allow me to repeat his position. Shannon and Gabi engaged in a consensual sexual relationship over a 2-year period. When she learned that he would not father a child with her, she resorted to extortion. While Shannon was willing to pay her a substantial amount of money to avoid the intimate details of his personal life from being exposed, as many high-profile individuals often do when they are being threatened, that is no longer the case. This is a shakedown, pure and simple and we have the evidence to prove it. And while there are certainly real victims of sexual assault whose stories deserve to be told; Gabi is not one of them and her attempt to extort Shannon with her false claims only serves to distract from the attention that real abuse victims deserve.”

Again, it’s one thing to offer “a substantial amount of money” (attorney Lanny Davis has said it was “at least $10 million”) to neutralize an alleged extortion threat. It’s arguably quite another to declare publicly that a substantial amount of money was offered.

“Bottom line,” Schuster said in the statement, “Shannon has done nothing wrong and intends to fight back against these malicious lies not with manufactured defenses or imaginary stories but with documentary proof and real evidence. He intends to pursue claims against Gabi and all who have assisted her with the dissemination of her fabricated story. Shannon looks forward to his day in court where he can hold Gabi and all who are working in concert with her accountable for the opportunists that they are.”

Schuster’s statement also pushes back on the perception that ESPN initiated Sharpe’s recent exit from First Take.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, Shannon Sharpe was not terminated by ESPN, but he has elected to step away for a temporary period of time from his duties so that he can focus on his family and the frivolous claim filed against him,” Schuster said. “ESPN agreed with his decision and Shannon plans to return to his role at ESPN for the NFL season.”

As noted by Andrew Marchand of TheAthletic.com, Sharpe’s position that he has temporarily exited his part-time employment with ESPN to “focus on his family and the frivolous claim filed against him” will be undermined if he continues to generate podcasts.

“[H]e is only on four hours a week,” Marchand wrote. “Let’s say he did a couple of hours extra of preparation — what are we talking about? 10 hours? 15? Seems like there is room to fight the allegations and discuss LeBron James’ legacy. His podcast takes a lot more time during his week.”

These statements and press conferences from Sharpe’s legal team seem to be aimed at winning the battle in the court of public opinion. And the most important jurors in the court of public opinion will be the people who pay Sharpe directly for the generation of content.

Whether that’s ESPN or whoever would have (and still could) sign Sharpe to a nine-figure podcast deal, the current efforts seem to be focused not on securing a favorable verdict in court but on ensuring that the gravy train will remain on track.