The lawyer representing the woman accusing Shannon Sharpe of rape will not be releasing the video that allegedly depicts the two engaging in sex ... calling it "key evidence" in their case against the former NFL star.
Tony Buzbee tells TMZ Sports ... he and his client -- who filed a lawsuit against Sharpe earlier this month for sexual assault using the pseudonym Jane Doe -- have zero plans right now to put the footage out to the media.
"The only reason you know about the existence of a video recording is that Mr. Sharpe specifically referenced it in his bulls*** statement," Buzbee said. "The contents of the video was shared during the mediation process with Sharpe’s attorneys. Again, Sharpe and his team disclosed that, not us. Sharpe himself was offered on more than one occasion to view it himself. He declined. We've never made any claims or threats about it and won't do so."
Shannon Sharpe got up close and personal with a cute female fan at an event in Nevada last year ... with video showing the Hall of Famer in great spirits throughout the interaction.
TMZ Sports obtained an exclusive clip from the Mr. Olympia festivities at Las Vegas' Resorts World in October 2024 -- the same month he was accused of forcing himself on a separate woman in a rape lawsuit.
In the clip, the two hit it off immediately ... and Shannon gave the lady his full attention, hanging on to her every word as she whispered into his ear.
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.
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.
Those close to Shannon Sharpe are adamant his relationship with his rape accuser was "purely" a BDSM one -- where the two would meet up for rough sex about once a week ... and nothing more.
Sources close to the Pro Football Hall of Famer told TMZ Sports on Thursday the ex-NFL star engaged in kinky, consensual sexual activity with Jane Doe "about 100 times" in both Los Angeles and Nevada -- from late 2022 to January 2025.
They insist that while the intimate encounters featured choking and role playing -- none of it was ever nonconsensual, forcible sex.
Shannon Sharpe's media career is hanging in the balance in the wake of his explosive sexual assault lawsuit -- a totally avoidable scenario, had he taken Mo'Nique's advice!!!
The blunt comedienne was on Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast back in Feb. 2024, when she warned him about dating young girls and urged him to get an "ol' fat gal" who cooked him soul food and catered to his needs.
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."
Shannon Sharpe's accuser's lawyer has released new audio in which you can hear the ESPN commentator threatening to choke the woman in public -- but the Pro Football Hall of Famer's team is adamant it's not what it sounds like.
Attorney Tony Buzbee dropped the file Wednesday morning and issued a statement, saying Sharpe’s attacks on him and his "Jane Doe" client were a "big, stupid mistake."
Buzbee goes on to say the audio "provides a fair picture of the relationship shortly before the alleged assault in this case," although he has not said when it was recorded.
Shannon Sharpe's accuser confronted him over the alleged January 2025 sexual assault ... with a newly released text message showing the woman told him, "no means no shannon."
The convo took place on the evening of Jan. 2, 2025 -- the day Jane Doe alleged in her lawsuit that Sharpe raped her.
Doe tells Sharpe in the message, "I cried when u left because I begged you to put a condom on and not put it in my ass and u didn’t listen."
Shannon Sharpe's attorney just revealed the Pro Football Hall of Famer made an offer to his rape accuser of "at least" $10 million to close out the case before it went public.
Lanny J. Davis -- who's representing Sharpe in the ESPN personality's civil sexual assault case against Jane Doe -- said in a meeting with reporters Tuesday the proposal was doled out during mediations with the plaintiff "within the last month or so."
Shannon Sharpe is vowing to sue his rape accuser for defamation ... in wake of the allegations she made against him in a bombshell lawsuit she filed on Sunday.
The ESPN personality addressed Jane Doe's explosive claims in a video that he posted to his Instagram page on Tuesday morning ... just minutes after the woman's attorney, Tony Buzbee, released an audio file to TMZ Sports that he says shows Sharpe threatening his client with "disturbing, aggressive, and dangerous" language.
Sharpe opened up his statement by claiming Doe's case "is a shakedown." He then accused Buzbee of orchestrating the attempted cash grab -- explaining he believes "Tony Buzbee targets Black men."
9:25 AM PT -- Shannon Sharpe and his attorney, Lanny J. Davis, have vowed to address the audio later Tuesday.
The Hall of Famer, Davis said, will make a statement on his Instagram page. The lawyer said he'd then follow that up with his own conference call a short time later.
The woman accusing Shannon Sharpe of rape has now released audio of a conversation she says she had with the Pro Football Hall of Famer ... and in it, Sharpe can be heard telling her he's "going to f***ing choke the shit out" of her.
Shannon Sharpe is firing back at his rape accuser ... calling B.S. on her allegations -- while sharing some graphic messages he claims she sent that back his side of the story.
Sharpe's attorney, Lanny J. Davis, released the denial on the Hall of Famer's behalf on Monday afternoon ... just hours after a Jane Doe said in a lawsuit the ex-football player sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions in late 2024 and early 2025.
Davis stated the suit -- which was filed by famed lawyer Tony Buzbee -- was nothing more than "a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars."
Paul Heyman just made a reference to the recent rape allegations levied against Shannon Sharpe ... all as he was live on the ESPN analyst's network.
The legendary WWE personality -- while chatting Monday on "The Pat McAfee Show" about how he betrayed CM Punk during a match at Night 1 of WrestleMania this weekend -- stated, "CM Punk does as much good to my reputation as Shannon Sharpe does to ESPN's."
Shannon Sharpe has just been sued for allegedly raping a woman on multiple occasions ... and the plaintiff in the case is asking for tens of millions in damages.
The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed by a Jane Doe on Sunday in Nevada ... after she says Sharpe brutally sexually assaulted her several times at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 -- following a yearslong, abusive relationship.
According to the suit, Doe met Sharpe in 2023 at a gym in Los Angeles -- when she was 20 years old and he was in his mid-50s. She stated in the docs during their first encounter, Sharpe told her he would "buy her fake t**s" if she won a weight-loss competition with him.
