Shannon Sharpe, the former NFL player and current sports media personality, just got hit with one. One woman, using the pseudonym Jane Doe, has charged him with rape in a recently filed lawsuit in Nevada state court. The allegations have sparked widespread outrage. Sharpe has vociferously denied the charges and has claimed that the lawsuit fits into a larger pattern of targeting Black men.
Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny Davis, revealed that Sharpe was willing to accept a settlement offer of at least $10 million prior to the lawsuit going to court. Now, that lawsuit has formally been filed. Davis said the mediation process was ongoing with the plaintiff before she abruptly brought the lawsuit.
Due to the allegations, Sharpe has countered that they are “viciously false” in response. Then, rather than hiding, he went on social media and filmed a video to go directly at them. In it, he personally attacked the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, accusing him of running an extortion scheme designed to destroy his career.
Davis only ratcheted up the drama by publicly naming the accuser. In his brief, he claimed that she had waived her right to privacy by bringing the claims. The transparency behind this release has generated public outrage as to how such volatile, sensitive allegations could be treated this way in a high-profile divorce.
“Instead of owning up to his actions, Sharpe has chosen to mislead his lawyers and the public, and double down — this time by doxing Jane Doe, and attempting to humiliate into silence this woman who is 30 years his junior.” – Tony Buzbee
To further complicate things, an audio recording purporting to document a conversation between Sharpe and Doe was released by Buzbee. During the altercation, Sharpe allegedly said some very violent things. Davis would go on to call these remarks “heat of the moment” statements. Davis claimed that these statements were in good faith.
In response, Sharpe’s legal team has made public text messages that they allege were between him and Doe. Davis’s messages, Davis contends, all point to a pattern of consensual role-playing in the bedroom that was plaintiff initiated.
Sharpe alleged that Buzbee was planning to leak segments of an unreleased sex tape that would make him appear in a bad light. He called on Buzbee to make the full recording available for public review. He worried that editing could skew the true nature of their back and forth.
“I’m going to be open, transparent and defend myself because this isn’t right. This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee.” – Shannon Sharpe
As the case develops, both Olympia’s and Walsh’s sides have made aggressive moves. While Davis expressed confidence in Sharpe’s position, asserting that the lawsuit lacks factual basis, he reiterated that “the act that is being portrayed was consensual.” He stated flatly,
“I can say without any doubt as an attorney that this lawsuit will not be successful because it is not based on facts, it’s based on falsehoods.” – Lanny Davis
Sharpe’s defense, as a Black man, is that he has been disproportionately profiled. As many observers have pointed out, his experience is comparable to other recent high-profile cases that featured allegations against Black men. His case has brought national attention to issues related to race, consent and media framing in criminal trials.
Shannon Sharpe is perhaps the most impactful force in sports media today. He takes advantage of his considerable social media platform to spread his favorable views about this highly controversial proposal. So he’s trying to figure out a pretty confusing legal environment. Both he and Buzbee seem to be prepared for a long legal battle that would be fought in a courtroom under a media microscope.