Former NFL star and media analyst Shannon Sharpe will no longer appear on ESPN, TheWrap has learned, just a few weeks after settling a $50 million lawsuit, in which his ex-girlfriend accused him of rape.
The football player turned media personality has not appeared on ESPN since April when the rape suit was first filed, but he was not formally removed from his post as an analyst at the time. Sharpe had said he would return to ESPN at the beginning of NFL training camp.
His ex-girlfriend accused him of rape in a complaint filed in April. The woman, identified as Jane Doe in the court filing, accused Sharpe of “pain and suffering, psychological and emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment and humiliation.” Sharpe immediately denied the allegations and claimed the relationship was “100% consensual.”
The pair’s relationship went downhill after the NFL commentator accidentally shared a video of himself having sex on Instagram Live in December. At the time, he said he was “embarrassed” but dismissed it at large that he was just “being a healthy, active male.”
Following the $50 million settlement July 19, a lawyer representing his ex said in a statement that “both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship.” No criminal charges were filed against Sharpe after his payout.
Sharpe retired from the NFL after 14 years playing in the league as a tight end, primarily for the Denver Broncos. He has since had an extensive media career. Sharpe appeared as an NFL studio analyst and a sports talk host at FS1. The football star became a foil to several prominent commentators, debating Skip Bayless on “Undisputed” and Stephen A. Smith on “First Take.”
The media personality also hosts two podcasts “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap” with former wide receiver Chad Ochocinco Johnson.
The Athletic first reported Sharpe’s firing.
