ESPN

Stephen A. Smith has an opinion on just about everything ... and that includes a rape lawsuit involving his co-worker Shannon Sharpe, who is now stepping away from ESPN amid the legal process.

Stephen A. reacted to Sharpe's decision to "temporarily" leave his duties on "First Take" in a Friday episode of his YouTube show. The media personalities are friends and folks are interested in how Stephen's processing Shannon's legal issues.

For Stephen, he says it's his personal opinion Shannon is NOT guilty ... though he admits he wasn't there for the allegations and only knows what's been reported in the media.

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.

Shannon Sharpe says he's stepping away from his ESPN gig ... four days after a woman claimed in a lawsuit he raped her.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer announced the decision on his X page on Thursday afternoon ... stating he's "temporarily" leaving his seat at the "First Take" desk in order to handle "false and disruptive allegations set against me."

Sharpe added, as of now, he's planning to return to his spot next to Stephen A. Smith later this summer -- right around the start of the NFL's preseason.

Stephen A. Smith says his bosses at ESPN are currently mulling Shannon Sharpe's "First Take" future ... in the wake of the explosive rape lawsuit that was levied against the ex-NFL star earlier this month.

On his "The Stephen A Smith Show" Tuesday, Smith stated he recently had a talk with ESPN honcho Jimmy Pitaro, who told told him, "We are taking this matter very seriously."

Smith said Pitaro added, "We are looking into this very, very closely. And once we gather as many facts as we possibly can, we will go from there."

Mark Gastineau is suing ESPN ... claiming the network did irreparable harm to his reputation when it posted an edited video of his 2023 altercation with Brett Favre.

The now-viral incident took place in November '23 at a sports show in Chicago ... when Gastineau confronted the ex-Packers star about a 2002 sack he gave up to Michael Strahan that allowed Strahan to break the New York Jets legend's single-season record.

Gastineau appeared furious with the ex-Packers signal-caller in the footage ESPN obtained ... and he could be heard in the clip telling Favre over and over again his actions during the '02 game "hurt me."

The internet is taking shots at ESPN after the network did not show the national anthem or moment of silence on the main Sugar Bowl broadcast ... after a terror attack in New Orleans delayed the important football game.

Folks online are up in arms with ESPN's decision to show studio analysts breaking down the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup between Notre Dame and Georgia instead of the in-stadium tribute to victims of Wednesday's terror attack in the city.

Thursday's Sugar Bowl was played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans ... close to where terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar mowed down NYE revelers in a pickup truck.

3:44 PM PT -- Kelce's remarks on the city of Dallas reached Mayor Eric L. Johnson, who told TMZ Sports he's laughin' it off.

"We have to consider that this may have been meant as a compliment from the guy who is most famous for leading the ‘Tush Push'," Mayor Johnson said.

"Or perhaps he has spent too much time at the bottom of piles to recognize a city on the rise. As we say here in Texas, bless his heart."

Jason Kelce's rivalry with the Cowboys is still going strong even in retirement ... check out the barb he threw Dallas' way Monday night -- it was so fierce, even his ESPN colleagues winced!!

The jab went down just before the Cowboys kicked off their "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Bengals ... as Kelce and the rest of the "Monday Night Countdown" crew were previewing the game live from AT&T Stadium.

Scott Van Pelt was attempting to switch segments from ESPN's "The Simpsons" coverage back to live action -- when he informed the audience of where they were located.

Tragedy has struck the Herbstreit household ... Kirk Herbstreit just revealed his famous dog, Ben Herbstreit, has died.

The renowned football commentator said on his X page Thursday morning that he and his family were forced to let their pooch go after vets said the cancer the dog had been battling had spread to his organs.

"I've had dogs my whole life," Kirk said in announcing the sad news, "but Ben was 1 on 1."

Cam Newton didn't disappoint on the first day of his new job ... the NFL MVP trolled new co-worker Shannon Sharpe over his Instagram Live sex sesh with "Michelle"!

ESPN recently hired the former All-Pro signal-caller to sit opposite Stephen A. Smith and Sharpe on "First Take" ... and he made his debut on Friday for their HBCU road show.

Newton -- who already has a popular podcast, 4th&1 -- and the crew were discussing Smith's top five homecoming essentials, from the band to Greek life.

But, Cam felt like the group missed an essential ... parties!

Good news for Shannon Sharpe ... the viral video of his Wednesday afternoon romp won't affect his day job -- as TMZ Sports has learned ESPN isn't going to discipline its star for his accidental sex stream.

A source at the network tells us ... Sharpe's absence from Thursday's "First Take" had nothing to do with what went down on his Instagram some 24 hours ago -- as his usual days off are Thursdays and Fridays.

The source says Sharpe is expected back on Monday -- and no punishment whatsoever is coming his way.

Jason Kelce's "Monday Night Football" debut shirt -- and his NSFW comment that accompanied it -- had nearly everyone in stitches ... including Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift!!

At least, that's what the Kansas City Chiefs star said on Wednesday's episode of "New Heights" ... revealing that when he and his girlfriend saw the whole scene unfold on ESPN this week -- they giggled hard.

"Me and Taylor were watching that," the tight end said, "absolutely dying laughing at it."

There's growing skepticism Donald Trump was hit by a bullet, and the latest to join the chorus is former ESPN host Keith Olbermann.

TMZ reported hours after the shooting, a well-placed source who had spoken with Secret Service told us ... Trump was hit by pieces of glass that had shattered during the gunfire.

The narrative changed almost immediately when the official word came out ... that Trump was grazed in the ear by an errant bullet, and had he not turned his head he would have been dead.

Nick Saban is getting another tribute at Alabama -- the school just announced it is renaming the Bryant-Denny Stadium field in his honor.

Bama will hold a ceremony on September 7 ... when the Crimson Tide host the South Florida Bulls.

The university shared a special video to reveal the news ... featuring several memorable soundbites from Saban's historic career.

Madison Keys' fiancé found himself in a pick-le ... 'cause ESPN jumped to him at the wrong time -- and, they caught him fingertip deep in his nostril.

The American tennis star was in the third set of her round of 16 match against Italian player Jasmine Paolini Sunday when ESPN's broadcast flashed over to her coach and fiancé, Bjorn Fratangelo.

Check out the clip ... Bjorn's hanging out and chatting with a woman to his right, when he brings his fingers up to his nose and decides to drag out a bothersome boogie.

Prince Harry has key figures in his corner amid the outrage over ESPN's decision to honor him with the Pat Tillman Award for Service -- at least 2 former winners say Harry is definitely deserving.

Jake Wood, a U.S. Marine and former college football player who won the award in 2018, tells TMZ … the Duke of Sussex is a natural fit for the Tillman honor because of Harry's military service and his dedication to veterans.

Jake feels Prince Harry is a good choice because he's dedicated his life to serving and supporting the military and veterans -- Harry served 2 tours in Afghanistan -- and that should be commended because there are hundreds of different ways a British royal could live his life.

ESPN is standing firm in its decision to honor Prince Harry with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at this month's ESPYs ... doubling down and saying the Duke of Sussex is a rightful recipient of the honor.

As we previously reported, Tillman's mother, Mary, was dissatisfied with this year's pick for the award ... saying there were plenty of lesser-known candidates that deserve some recognition -- and referring to Harry as "controversial and divisive" in the process.

ESPN talent Pat McAfee also dogged the selection ... claiming it felt like the network was purposely trying to strike a controversy.