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Shannon Sharpe is being sued in Nevada by a former girlfriend who is accusing the Super Bowl winner of raping her on two occasions.
The woman, known as Jane Doe, alleges that former NFL star Shannon Sharpe sexually assaulted her in both 2024 and 2025. A legal document obtained from TMZ states that she is seeking $50 million in damages through a lawsuit.
Jane Doe asserts that Sharpe subjected her to mistreatment throughout their one-year relationship. She also alleges that it was another woman, not herself, who was recorded engaging in a sexual act with Sharpe in a social media livestream mishap in September, which involved the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Sharpe is first accused of raping Jane Doe the following month, allegedly forcing himself on her as she ‘was crying and sobbing.’
He allegedly raped her again in January after arriving at her home with promises of Christmas and birthday gifts.
According to the court filing, the woman met Sharpe in 2023 when she was 20 years old and he was in his mid-50s. She claims that Sharpe promised to pay for breast augmentation surgery if she successfully outperformed him in a weight-loss challenge. Subsequently, she alleges, Sharpe aggressively pursued her by incessantly calling, messaging, and pressuring her to visit his residence in Beverly Glen.
Former Denver Broncos star Shannon Sharpe is being sued over a rape allegation in Nevada
Jane Doe describes their relationship as consensual, but claims he ‘demanded complete control over her time and body.’ Often he was ‘expecting her to be at his house on his schedule, at his command, whenever he called,’ according to the filing.
She became particularly fearful of Sharpe during an argument during which there was a handgun visible in the room.
‘Plaintiff tried sharing her location with friends from her iPhone — just in case,’ the filings state. ‘But Sharpe saw her doing this. The moment he realized what she was doing, he grabbed her by the neck and told her, ”If you ever do that again, I will f***ing kill you.”’
A popular podcast host and ESPN personality, Sharpe is rumored to be in line for a massive new deal.
Front Office Sports is reporting that Sharpe has received multiple offers as his current media deal with Colin Cowherd’s platform, The Volume, is set to expire. Furthermore, sources tell FSO Sharpe’s next deal is expected to exceed $100 million, which happens to be the reported amount Smith got in his recent contract negotiations with ESPN.
That might come as a surprise, but Sharpe does have a massive audience. A recent interview with comedian Katt Williamson hit nearly 90 million views and Club Shay Shay currently boasts around 4 million subscribers, making it among the most popular podcasts in sports and entertainment.
Regardless of whether Sharpe’s next deal surpasses $100 million in total value, it will assuredly exceed the $22 million he made over 14 NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.
It’s unclear if Sharpe’s next podcast deal will impact his guest spots on ESPN. Sharpe’s agent could not be reached for comment.
Both Sharpe and Smith previously worked with erstwhile ESPN and Fox Sports host Skip Bayless before joining forces on First Take.
Bayless (left) and Sharpe, pictured in 2016, had a very public fallout on their Undisputed show
Although their relationship can hardly be described as acrimonious, they do frequently quarrel of Lakers star LeBron James, who is feuding with Smith and adored by Sharpe.
When Sharpe said he wished James could have taken a mid-career retirement break, as Michael Jordan once did to play minor league baseball, Smith erupted.
‘You should be ashamed of yourself! That is nonsense,’ Smith responded.
The two then descended into a debate over the different levels of physicality in the league between Jordan and James’s playing days, with Smith suggesting the Chicago Bulls legend had more justification for taking a break.
‘This is the problem with Shannon Sharpe,’ an incensed Smith began, ordering the camera to pan on to him.
‘This dude [is] in the weight room, he’s got muscles coming out of his ears, he works out all the time, he’s the epitome of physicality but he’s going to ignore how physical the game was when MJ was playing compared to what it is now for LeBron. You’ve got to be kidding me!’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, and lawyers who previously represented Sharpe in an unrelated lawsuit. Buzbee is best known for representing 20 women who accused NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment.
The brother of former Green Bay Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe, Shannon played at little-known Savannah State before being taken by the Denver Broncos as an afterthought in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft.
But instead of being a backup or role player, Sharpe soon established himself as one of the most productive tight ends in football despite not possessing elite size at just 6-foot-2, 228-pounds.
He would go on to win two Super Bowls with the Broncos and another with the Baltimore Ravens before turning to Denver to finish his career in 2003.