Hours after announcing he was taking a leave of absence from ESPN after being accused of rape and sexual assault, Shannon Sharpe showed up at the NFL Draft.
Sharpe, 56, recorded an episode of his “Nightcap” podcast with cohost Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson from Green Bay, Wisconsin on Thursday, April 24.
The podcast recording came on the heels of Sharpe announcing he would be pausing his duties at ESPN in the wake of being named in a $50 million lawsuit filed by a “Jane Doe” on Sunday, April 20.
“At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties,” Sharpe posted via his Instagram Story on Thursday afternoon. “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.”
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He continued, “I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, friends, fans and colleagues.”
Sharpe did not address the lawsuit during the four-hour podcast recording, during which he and Johnson, 47, reacted to Night 1 of the NFL Draft in real time.
In the 13-page complaint filed against Sharpe, obtained by NBC News, the woman — who says she and Sharpe had a “rocky consensual relationship” for two years — also reportedly alleges Sharpe engaged in the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Sharpe has denied all of the allegations, which he repeated in his Instagram Story on Thursday. Sharpe claimed “the relationship in question was 100 percent consensual.”
Lanny J. Davis, Sharpe’s attorney, claimed to Us Weekly on Monday, April 21, that the lawsuit is “filled with lies, distortions and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.” He accused the woman of attempting “a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars.”
Us Weekly has reached out to ESPN for comment about Sharpe’s future on the network.
Sharpe joined morning show First Take as a recurring panelist in August 2023. In June 2024, Sharpe signed a multiyear deal to expand his role on the show.
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Stephen A. Smith, one of Sharpe’s cohosts on First Take, addressed the allegations against Sharpe on the Tuesday episode of his podcast, “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” and revealed he had spoken with ESPN chairman James Pitaro about a path forward.
“[Pitaro] made it very, very clear that we are taking this matter very seriously,” Smith, 57, said. “And we are looking into this very, very closely. Once we gather as many facts as we possibly can, we will go from there. That is all he said. I can mention his name because I received his permission to say that.”
Smith continued, “I don’t know what that means. In my perfect world, this equates to Jay-Z, where the case is ultimately dropped and Shannon is allowed to continue on First Take and continue to thrive and shine.”
Sharpe vowed to return for the start of the NFL preseason schedule, which kicks off August 1.
