Alert – NFL legend Shannon Sharpe sued for $50M for allegedly raping ex-girlfriend repeatedly

Shannon Sharpe has been accused of repeatedly raping his ex-girlfriend, who has now filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Super Bowl winner in Nevada. 

The woman, identified as Jane Doe, is claiming the legendary NFL tight end raped her in 2024 and 2025, according to a court filing obtained by DailyMail.com. TMZ was the first to report the lawsuit. 

The accuser claims she was abused by Sharpe over their year-long relationship. She also claims that it was another woman, and not her, who was caught having sex with Sharpe when the Pro Football Hall of Famer accidentally streamed live audio of the encounter on social media in September. 

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.

‘The lawsuit filed under the pseudonym “Jane Doe” lays out a pattern of intimidation, manipulation, and abuse, including allegations that Sharpe repeatedly threatened to choke and slap Jane Doe,’ read a statement from the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee. 

Sharpe has denied the accusations in a statement through his attorneys in which he identified his accuser by name. 

Former Denver Broncos star Shannon Sharpe is being sued over a rape allegation in Nevada 

‘This lawsuit, filed by [Jane Doe] and orchestrated by her attorney Tony Buzbee, is a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars,’ read the statement from Lanny J. Davis, Sharpe’s counsel. ‘It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.

‘In her effort to extract a large financial settlement, Ms. Zuniga presented Mr. Sharpe with a secretly recorded video of a consensual sexual encounter. We believe the video has been heavily edited and taken entirely out of context, crafted to falsely portray a consensual act as non-consensual. Ms. Zuniga has refused to provide a copy of the full, unedited version of the recording to Mr. Sharpe’s legal team.

‘To set the record straight, we are releasing several of Ms. Zuniga’s own explicit text messages to Mr. Sharpe that clearly indicate the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature — and, in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.’

Davis’ firm released several explicit text messages, purportedly sent to Sharpe by his accuser.

The couple met in 2023 when she was 20 and he was in his mid-50s, according to the filing. The woman claims Sharpe told her he would ‘buy her fake t**s’ if she won a weight-loss competition with him. From there, she claims, Sharpe pursued her vigorously, calling, texting and ‘demanding she come to his Beverly Glen mansion.’ 

Curiously, Sharpe demanded she sign a non-disclosure agreement when their relationship began, only to drop that request when she repeatedly refused. 

‘… Sharpe made another demand—she had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, an ”NDA,”’ reads the filing obtained by DailyMail.com. ‘He refused to explain why and would not let her see a copy of the proposed agreement. He simply insisted she sign one. Plaintiff refused. After multiple attempts, when he realized she would not cooperate, he finally dropped the issue.’

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.”’

Bayless (left) and Sharpe, pictured in 2016, had a very public fallout on their Undisputed show

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.

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 attorneys 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.