The Big Lead

ESPN cuts ties with Shannon Sharpe after lawsuit settlement

The news comes one year after ESPN announced a multi-year contract extension with the Pro Football Hall of Famer.

By J.P. Hoornstra

Former NFL player and ESPN personality Shannon Sharpe looks on in the second half of the in season tournament championship final between the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 9, 2023.
Former NFL player and ESPN personality Shannon Sharpe looks on in the second half of the in season tournament championship final between the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 9, 2023. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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ESPN cut ties with veteran on-air personality Shannon Sharpe, according to multiple reports Wednesday. The news comes two weeks after Sharpe settled a lawsuit in which a woman accused him of rape.

Sharpe, 57, played 14 years in the NFL before joining ESPN as a host of First Take in 2023. In June 2024, the network announced it had signed Sharpe to a multi-year contract extension. He also hosted an ESPN-affiliated podcast, Club Shay Shay. From 2016-23, Sharpe was part of Fox Sports 1's Undisputed show alongside Skip Bayless.

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But controversy followed the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in recent years. In September 2024, Sharpe could be heard having sexual intercouse on an Instagram live feed while his phone lay next to his bed. He would later claim the live feed was an accident.

In April, Sharpe was named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit in Nevada, in which a woman alleged he engaged in abuse and sexual battery. The woman, identified as Sharpe's ex-girlfriend, sought $50 million. No criminal charges were filed against him.

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Sharpe announced on Twitter/X that he was temporarily stepping aside from his role on ESPN. He hadn't been seen on-air since.

"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," he wrote on Twitter/X on April 24.

The Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions are set to kick off the NFL preseason on Thursday, which might not be coincidental to the timing of Sharpe's departure.

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that Sharpe's podcasting deals conclude at the end of August.

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