Shannon Sharpe, rape accuser settle bombshell $50 million lawsuit

nypost.com

Shannon Sharpe and the woman who accused him of rape have settled their civil case, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer.

Tony Buzbee made the announcement on Instagram, months after his client, identified as Jane Doe, made the disturbing bombshell allegations against the NFL Hall of Famer and ESPN contributor.

“After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution,” Buzbee wrote. “All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”

Terms of the settlement have not been made public. Doe was initially seeking $50 million.

Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe Getty Images

Sharpe staunchly denied the allegations made by Doe in April in which she claimed he sexually assaulted and abused her as part of their years-long relationship.

Doe, 30 years younger than Sharpe, met him at a Los Angeles gym in 2023.

She claimed the 56-year-old threatened to kill her, manipulated and controlled her and repeatedly threatened to “brutally choke her and violently slap her,” per the suit, filed in Nevada.

Doe’s legal team later released audio clips of Sharpe telling her that he would ” f–king choke the s–t out” of her; the former tight end’s reps countered that their relationship was consensual and involved “role-playing” and “fantasy.”

Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe in November 2024. Getty Images

Sharpe’s attorney Lanny J. Davis released a trove the their purported text messages, many of which were explicit and sexual.

The sides were nearing a $10 million settlement before the lawsuit was filed “without warning,” according to Davis.

The Super Bowl winner stepped away from his ESPN duties — notably absent on the “First Take” panel alongside Stephen A. Smith — in April while the legal process played out with the intention of returning to the air by the NFL preseason.

“At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties,” he said in a statement in April. “I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason. I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, fans, friends and colleagues.”