[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
UPDATE 4/24/25 11:00 A.M. PST: Shannon Sharpe’s legal counsel has released the following statement:
“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. 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. This is exactly what is happening to Shannon Sharpe and the resurrection of the case involving Michele Evans is a perfect example. Sadly, Ms. Evans 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 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.
Following in Ms. Evan’s footsteps, Gabi a/k/a Karli is the latest person trying to exploit her connection with Shannon. From the onset, Shannon has been crystal clear about the nature of his relationship with Gabi Zuniga. For the sake of clarity, please allow me to repeat his position. Shannon and Gabi engaged in a consensual sexual relationship over a 2-year period. When she learned that he would not father a child with her, she resorted to extortion. While Shannon was willing to pay her a substantial amount of money to avoid the intimate details of his personal life from being exposed, as many high-profile individuals often do when they are being threatened, that is no longer the case. This is a shakedown, pure and simple and we have the evidence to prove it. And while there are certainly real victims of sexual assault whose stories deserve to be told; Gabi is not one of them and her attempt to extort Shannon with her false claims only serves to distract from the attention that real abuse victims deserve.
Bottom line, Shannon has done nothing wrong and intends to fight back against these malicious lies not with manufactured defenses or imaginary stories but with documentary proof and real evidence. He intends to pursue claims against Gabi and all who have assisted her with the dissemination of her fabricated story. Shannon looks forward to his day in court where he can hold Gabi and all who are working in concert with her accountable for the opportunists that they are.
For the avoidance of any doubt, Shannon Sharpe was not terminated by ESPN, but he has elected to step away for a temporary period of time from his duties so that he can focus on his family and the frivolous claim filed against him. ESPN agreed with his decision and Shannon plans to return to his role at ESPN for the NFL season.”
__________
Shannon Sharpe has been accused of rape and battery.
On Sunday, a woman filed a $50 million lawsuit against the NFL legend under the name of Jane Doe, alleging her raped her on multiple occasions between late 2024 and early 2025. In the suit, which was obtained by multiple outlets, she claims she began a “rocky” and abusive relationship with the 56-year-old in 2023 after meeting at a Los Angeles-area gym. At the time, she was just 20 years old while the former Denver Broncos tight end was in his mid 50s. During their encounter, Doe claims he offered to “buy her fake tits” if she entered a weight loss competition with him… And that’s when she claims he started a pattern of controlling behavior.
According to the suit, Shannon went on to aggressively pursue her by calling and texting incessantly, “demanding she come to his Beverly Glen mansion.” Eventually, she agreed to be in a relationship with Shannon — and that’s when she claims he really tightened the leash. Attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing Doe, wrote:
“He demanded complete control over her time and body, expecting her to be at his house on his schedule, at his command, whenever he called.”
Red flag…
Related: Kanye West Reveals Incestuous Teen Relationship With Male Family Member
According to the docs, Doe became frightened for her life after an argument broke out with the athlete in a room he apparently had a firearm readily visible… She attempted to share her location with friends — and that’s when things got REALLY scary:
“Plaintiff tried sharing her location with friends from her iPhone — just in case. But Sharpe saw her doing this. The moment he realized what she was doing, he grabbed her by the neck and told her, ‘If you ever do that again, I will f**king kill you.’”
Controversy hit Shannon last September after he was heard having sex on Instagram Live, so Doe claims she “began to pull away” from the relationship and even attempted to break up with him… And that’s when the unthinkable happened: she says Shannon raped her in October when she was “crying and sobbing.”
A second assault allegedly occurred in January. Doe says Shannon tricked her into allowing him to come over by telling her he had a Christmas present for her. The interaction allegedly ended in another rape.
How completely awful if true… But the Club Shay Shay podcast host says it’s not! His response is that everything is consensual — and this is a “shake down” for money. He’s even started to drop receipts.
In a statement released on multiple of Shannon’s social media accounts on Monday, attorney Lanny J. Davis starts by naming Doe and saying her lawsuit “orchestrated by her attorney Tony Buzbee, is a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars”:
“It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.”
Davis also claims a tape exists that shows “a consensual sexual encounter” that has been “heavily edited and taken entirely out of context, crafted to falsely portray a consensual act as non-consensual.”
The attorney goes on to claim that the plaintiff “refused to provide a copy of the full, unedited version of the recording,” so in response, Shannon’s legal team has released several explicit messages — allegedly from the plaintiff — indicating “the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature.” These are wild. One reads:
“I know u miss this big juicy ass. ..$25k for each cheek.”
Another?
“i want you to put a dog collar around my neck and choke me with it while ur f**king me”
Whoa! Clearly they’re trying to show the kind of sexual encounters that might look aggressive in an allegedly edited video were actually par for the course in their consensual relationship. Will it work?
Davis concludes his statement:
“Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct — especially the gross lie of ‘rape’ — and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail. He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on the facts and the law.”
You can see the full statement HERE. Big yikes on this one…
Reactions, Perezcious readers??
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources
[Images via Club Shay Shay/YouTube]
Related Posts
-
Categories
