Shannon Sharpe Defends Lucrative Settlement Offer, Wanted To Keep Intimate Details Private

Shannon Sharpe is explaining why he was willing to give his rape accuser at least $10 million to not move forward with her lawsuit ... saying it was a drastic attempt to keep the "intimate details" of his life from going public -- NOT because he did anything wrong.

The Hall of Famer's legal team released a lengthy statement on Friday ... addressing a number of topics in one swift motion -- most notably, the eye-popping settlement offer that was presented to the woman earlier this year.

Mitchell Schuster, litigation counsel to Sharpe, said in the statement his client was "willing to pay her a substantial amount of money to avoid the intimate details of his personal life from being exposed, as many high-profile individuals often do when they are being threatened" ... but noted things have since changed.

Sharpe's reps reiterated the current accusations are nothing more than a "shakedown" ... and claim the evidence sides with him.

The ESPN talent's team also made note of recent stories highlighting rape allegations made by a woman named Michele Bundy Evans back in 2010 -- which we covered at the time -- and said they're resurfacing to "create a fabricated narrative."

"This is exactly what is happening to Shannon Sharpe and the resurrection of the case involving Michele Evans is a perfect example," the statement continued. "Sadly, Ms. Evans became obsessed with Shannon and decided to manufacture a claim against him. When she could not find a lawyer to pursue her outrageous story, she filed a civil complaint on her own that is completely devoid of merit."

Sharpe's team says his current accuser is "following in Ms. Evans' footsteps" in trying to exploit him.

"Bottom line, Shannon has done nothing wrong and intends to fight back against these malicious lies not with manufactured defenses or imaginary stories but with documentary proof and real evidence."

As for his gig with ESPN, Sharpe's team reiterated he was not canned ... and he chose to take a temporary period of time away as he focuses on the case.

As we previously reported, Sharpe is adamant he had a consensual sexual relationship with his accuser for two years ... and while it was rough in nature, he never forced himself on her.