Shannon Sharpe on Pause at ESPN Following Sexual-Assault Lawsuit

ABLUpdated 2 weeks Ago1 Mins read2

Shannon Sharpe, the former NFL player and current host of the Club Shay Shay podcast, is “temporarily” pausing appearances on ESPN’s football-discussion show First Take. Sharpe, who was accused of sexual assault by a former girlfriend in a lawsuit filed on April 20, confirmed his break in a social-media post on April 24. “At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties,” he stated. “I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.” Preseason begins on August 8. “This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away,” ESPN said in a statement to Variety. A source at Disney told Deadline the company intends to “further investigate” the situation before making a final decision about Sharpe’s presence on the show. First Take, hosted by Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim, typically features Sharpe on Mondays and Tuesdays.

pic.twitter.com/jsVyWA1xbI

— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) April 24, 2025

Gabriella Zuniga is suing for $50 million alleging assault and sexual battery. “After many months of manipulating and controlling Plaintiff — a woman more than 30 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,’” it states. Sharpe has denied the charges, calling the relationship “100 percent consensual” in his statement and releasing text messages he says support his claims of blackmail. His lawyer, Lanny J. Davis, previously said in a statement to Vulture that Sharpe “stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court.”