Former NFL Star Shannon Sharpe Accused of Rape and Sexual Battery in $50 Million Lawsuit: Report

UPDATE — 4/21/25, 3:45 p.m. ET: In a statement to Us Weekly, Shannon Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, said the lawsuit filed against Sharpe is “filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.”

In the Monday, April 21, statement, Davis called the filing “a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars.”

Sharpe denied all of the allegations made against him, “especially the gross lie of ‘rape.’”

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

Original story below:

NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe has reportedly been accused of rape and sexual battery in a $50 million lawsuit. 

Sharpe, 56, allegedly committed assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery in a complaint filed by a woman identified as “Jane Doe” in Nevada on Sunday, April 20, according to NBC Sports. 

The lawsuit reportedly alleges Sharpe and the woman met at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 when she was 20 years old and Sharpe was in his mid-50s.

According the documents, the woman claimed Sharpe offered to “buy her fake t**s” if she won a weight-loss competition with him during their first encounter.

In the 13-page complaint, the woman — who says she and Sharpe had a “rocky consensual relationship” for two years— also reportedly claims Sharpe engaged in the intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The alleged assaults began near the end of 2024 and continued into early 2025, according to the filing. 

Sharpe allegedly recorded the couple’s sexual activities, sometimes without her consent, and would then allegedly share the recordings with others. 

During one alleged incident in particular, the woman claims Sharpe said “I will f***ing kill you” after he caught her trying to share her location with her friends on her phone out of caution. 

The accuser “began to pull away from Sharpe” after he unintentionally went live on Instagram in September while having sex with another woman. Sharpe allegedly relentlessly pursued her after she began ignoring his phone calls and attempted to drop contract with the former football star. 

In October 2024, Sharpe allegedly confronted the woman, which resulted in forcible sex without her consent. 

Sharpe’s accuser alleges that he forcibly raped her in January 2025 and refused to wear a condom.

The unidentified woman is reportedly seeking a minimum of $50 million in damages. 

“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 lawsuit states. “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.’”

Us Weekly reached out to Sharpe’s representatives for comment. 

Sharpe played 14 seasons as a tight end with the Denver Broncos and Batltimore Ravens before announcing his retirement in 2003. 

The former football star has gone on to a successful career in television and podcasting since retiring. Sharpe cohosted FS1’s Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, alongside Skip Bayless, from 2016 to 2023. He now appears as a regular contributor on ESPN’s First Take. 

Sharpe’s podcast, “Club Shay Shay,” launched in 2020 has also become massively popular, with the show welcoming guests including Katt Williams, Mo’Nique, Usher, Megan Thee Stallion and Kamala Harris.