ESPN fires Shannon Sharpe following rape lawsuit settlement

Former Denver Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe was fired by ESPN on Wednesday, less than two weeks after settling a $50 million rape lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, The Athletic reports.

Sharpe has not been on ESPN since April, when he stepped away from the network with the intention to rejoin their broadcasts by football season.

The civil lawsuit was filed in Clark County, Nevada, seeking damages for claims of assault, sexual assault, battery, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress while alleging multiple nonconsensual sexual encounters involving Sharpe in the accuser’s Las Vegas apartment.

Sharpe publicly denied the allegations immediately after his ex-girlfriend filed the suit and called the case a “shakedown.” He said the relationship was consensual, taking place between 2024 and 2025.

Last fall, Sharpe was involved in another sexual incident, where he says he accidentally livestreamed audio on Instagram of himself having sex. ESPN did not discipline Sharpe. It is unclear if this is the same woman.

Sharpe played 14 years in the NFL, 12 of which were in Denver. He won two Super Bowls for the Broncos, catching passes from John Elway, and is regarded as one of the best tight ends in league history. Since retiring after the 2003 season, Sharpe has remained a public figure as one of the most outspoken broadcasters on television.

Sharpe rose to another level when he worked on FS1’s “Undisputed” FS1 with  Skip Bayless. He used that to jump to ESPN’s “First Take,” where he was appearing twice weekly next to Stephen A. Smith. Sharpe will keep doing his podcasts “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap,” which are distributed by The Volume.

No criminal charges have been filed against Sharpe.

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