ESPN cuts relationship with Shannon Sharp following payments for rape cases
ESPN parted ways with NFL Hall of Famer and analyst Shannon Sharp a few weeks after he settled a lawsuit with his ex-girlfriend, who accused him of rape.
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Shannon Sharp said he was “in peace” at the end of his run at ESPN, but he has one persistent problem with how the terminations were handled.
Hall of Fame tight ends and media commentators have disappointed news about the network’s decision to move on from him until the brothers introduced this weekend into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sharp, who has appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” twice a week since 2023, revealed this on his “Night-Cap” podcast on Wednesday, July 30th, confirming that ESPN learned that it ended earlier this week.
Sharp said his only request is to wait until the network releases the news until Monday, August 4th. His older brother, longtime Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharp, is being enshrined in Canton, Ohio on Saturday as part of the 2025 Professional Football Hall of Fame class.
Shannon and Sterling Sharp are set to be the first pair of brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Shannon Sharp has been appointed to the class of 2011.
ESPN “does what they felt they needed to do, and I’m in peace with it,” Shannon Sharp said. “But I hope everyone. I hate the fact that I’ve covered my brothers, so I hope this has been waiting until Monday. The first two brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are headlines for the next few days.”
ESPN has yet to publicly comment on Sharpe’s status since Athletic first reported the network’s decision to cut ties with him on Wednesday, July 30th. The Expn and Sharpe split occurred less than two weeks after Sharpe settled a $50 million lawsuit in connection with sexual assault and battery charges by Ex-Girlfriend.
Sharpe last appeared on ESPN in April and resigned after the lawsuit was first filed. However, he publicly denied the allegations, calling them a “shakedown” and maintained their relationship with the accuser as “100% agreement.” Sharp said it was when NFL training camp began before the 2025 season and was planning to return to ESPN’s airwaves.
The settlement in Sharp’s case came into light on July 18 when Tony Buzby, a lawyer for a woman identified as “Jane Doe” in court filings, announced that both parties had reached a resolution and the lawsuit would be dismissed. No details on the contract have been announced.
The woman accused Sharp of attacking her twice in October 2024 and January 2025 after engaging in a deliberate infringement of emotional distress. She said Sharp became violent in the course of their relationship and recorded the sexual encounter without her consent. Sharp has never faced criminal charges on this issue.
The 57-year-old Sharp retired from the NFL in May 2004 after a 14-year career that became his first tight end in yards with three Super Bowls and over 10,000 careers.
