Shannon Sharpe Sued for $50M Over Assault Claims, Calls It ‘Blackmail’

NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe is facing serious allegations. A woman has filed a $50 million lawsuit accusing the former football star of sexual assault and battery — claims that Sharpe strongly denies.

The lawsuit was filed Sunday in Nevada state court, according to multiple reports. In a statement released Monday through his attorney, Sharpe called the accusations a "blackmail" attempt, TMZ reported.

The complaint, obtained by ProFootballTalk, accuses Sharpe of assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery. It also claims he caused the plaintiff emotional distress.

According to the lawsuit, the woman and Sharpe were in a “rocky consensual relationship” that began in 2023 and lasted around two years. She was 19 when they met, USA Today reports. She alleges that Sharpe sexually assaulted her twice — once in October 2024 and again in January 2025.

The complaint also claims Sharpe manipulated and controlled her, making threats of violence.

"A woman can say ‘yes’ to consensual sexual relations with a man ninety-nine times, but when she says ‘no’ even once, that ‘no’ means no," the complaint reads, according to ProFootballTalk. "Defendant Shannon Sharpe, a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, completely fails to understand this basic concept. After many months of manipulating and controlling Plaintiff—a woman more than thirty years younger than he—and repeatedly threatening to brutally choke and violently slap her, Sharpe refused to accept the answer no and raped Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no.’"

The woman is seeking $50 million in damages and is represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who previously helped secure settlements for women who accused NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct, according to Fox News.

Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, responded with a statement shared on Sharpe’s social media accounts. Davis included what he said were sexually explicit messages from the plaintiff to Sharpe.

He called the lawsuit “a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars.”

“It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations and it will not succeed,” Davis said. “In her effort to extract a large financial settlement, [plaintiff] presented Mr. Sharpe with a secretly recorded video of a consensual sexual encounter. We believe the video has been heavily edited and taken entirely out of context, crafted to falsely portray a consensual act as non-consensual.”

He added that the messages “clearly indicate the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.”

“Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct – especially the gross lie of ‘rape’ – and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail,” Davis said. “He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on the facts and the law.”