Shannon Sharpe reveals ESPN hiatus amid whirlwind allegations

It's been a wild serious of events that have gone down recently involving former NFL star Shannon Sharpe as he continues to seek out a new sports media deal that would make him one of the highest-paid in the industry.

The former Super Bowl champion and NFL Hall of Famer has now opted to step away from ESPN for the time being as his case has become more public recently with recordings being released on a daily basis.

BREAKING: Shannon Sharpe has announced that he is temporarily stepping away from ESPN. pic.twitter.com/pOGKxOmvN4
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 24, 2025

"At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties," Sharpe said in a statement he issued Thursday.

Sharpe has been involved in serious allegations levied against him by his former OnlyFans girlfriend, who accused him of sexual assault stemming from encounters during late 2024 into early 2025.

The news comes as Sharpe was recently accused of choking a female coworker during his time at Fox Sports 1 when he worked alongside Skip Bayless on the hit show Undisputed. Both Sharpe and Bayless have since left the network and have been named in lawsuits against Fox Sports.

Shannon Sharpe was accused of choking a female production assistant at FS1, per @FOS

“Before Sharpe’s time at ESPN, when he was the co-host of FS1’s Undisputed, he was accused of choking a female production assistant in the workplace, two sources with knowledge of the incident… pic.twitter.com/dh2HDILaRU
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 24, 2025

The host of popular podcast Club Shay Shay has been seeking a new media deal in excess of $100 million as his contract with Colin Cowherd's The Volume Sports is set to expire.

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