Shannon Sharpe's Legal Team Releases Statement on 2023 Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Him

Shannon Sharpe’s legal counsel has issued a statement regarding the sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in 2023 by a woman claiming to be his ex-girlfriend.

According to Page Six, the Jane Doe sued Sharpe for defamation, libel, and slander after accusing him of sexual assault. Court documents obtained by the outlet state that the accuser claims Sharpe assaulted her in 2010 following an argument over his alleged infidelity.

“It should be of no surprise that when someone famous is in the news, all sorts of people crawl out of the woodwork to share their connection to that person in an attempt to profit from that alleged relationship,” the statement from Mitchell Schuster of Meister, Seelig & Fein reads. “In many cases, those stories or accusations are nothing more than old news, fanciful exaggerations, or sometimes blatant misrepresentations of fact. They are shared on social media or fed to reporters with intentional factual omissions and no regard for the truth.”

“This is obviously purposeful, designed to create a fabricated narrative," the statement continues, before alleging that his accuser "became obsessed with Shannon and decided to manufacture a claim against him."

"When she could not find a lawyer to pursue her outrageous story, she filed a civil complaint on her own that is completely devoid of merit," the statement alleges. "The fact is that Shannon has had no contact with this person for many years and it is our understanding that she is still on probation after serving 3 years in prison for trying to kill her husband so that she could hopefully pursue a relationship with Shannon.”

The $50 million dollar lawsuit from the Jane Doe mentions this previous lawsuit, so the statement from Sharpe’s legal team ties them together. The statement goes on to say that the Jane Doe is "the latest person trying to exploit her connection with Shannon" and that from the onset, Shannon has been crystal clear about the nature of his relationship” with his accuser.

After reiterating Sharpe’s claim that his relationship with his accuser was a consensual sexual one, Schuster claimed that her lawsuit is money-motivated. “This is a shakedown, pure and simple and we have the evidence to prove it,” the statement adds.

Yesterday (Apr. 24), Sharpe announced that he made the decision to “step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties” in the wake of the sexual assault lawsuit filed against him. 

"My statement is found here and this is the truth,” he wrote. "The relationship in question was 100% consensual. At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties. 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."