Shannon Sharpe will step aside from his job at ESPN following a civil lawsuit that accused him of raping a woman twice.
Sharpe, 56, announced the decision Thursday on social media, shortly after Deadline reported he would not return to his usual spot on “First Take” next week.
“At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties,” Sharpe said. “I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me.”
The “Club Shay Shay” podcast host said he planned to return to ESPN at the beginning of the NFL preseason in August. An ESPN spokesperson told multiple outlets, “This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away.”
Sharpe’s regular appearances on “First Take” alongside Stephen A. Smith are just part of his sports media presence, which also includes the “Nightcap” podcast with former NFL receiver Chad Johnson and the weekly “Club Shay Shay” interview show.
Sharpe and Johnson are expected to record live from the NFL Draft at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Thursday night.
On Sunday, a woman using the pseudonym Jane Doe filed a lawsuit against Sharpe in Las Vegas, claiming that he raped her in October 2024 and again in January 2025. The lawsuit sought $50 million in damages.
Sharpe denied the claims, calling the relationship “100% consensual.” Sharpe and his attorneys publicly released the woman’s name and shared numerous explicit text messages between the two.
In response, the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, released another set of text messages and the recording of a conversation, allegedly between the woman and Sharpe.
“I’m going to f–king choke the s–t out of you when I see you,” a male voice says on the recording, to which a female voice replies, “I don’t want to be choked.”
“I don’t think you have a choice in the matter,” the man says.
