Shannon Sharpe is making it clear—he’s not staying quiet. Just days after being hit with a civil lawsuit alleging assault, sexual assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, the former NFL star and media personality is clapping back.
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Sharpe’s camp isn’t holding back either. His attorney, Lanny J. Davis, issued a fiery response slamming the allegations and painting the case as nothing more than a “blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions.”
The Lawsuit: What Shannon Sharpe Is Being Accused Of
According to reports, the lawsuit filed against Shannon Sharpe includes some heavy allegations: assault, sexual assault, battery, and emotional distress. The woman behind the claims has yet to speak publicly, but her attorney, Tony Buzbee, has reportedly taken the lead on her behalf.
Sharpe’s legal team is pushing back hard, asserting that this is all a setup orchestrated to extort money from the media mogul. Davis called the lawsuit “filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations.”
Davis also stated:“It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.”
He claims that the plaintiff recorded a “video of a consensual sexual encounter” but edited it heavily to make it appear non-consensual.
“She secretly recorded the video, and it was taken entirely out of context,” Davis said. “She has refused to turn over the full, unedited version to our legal team.”
Sharpe’s Legal Defense: Calling It a “Set-Up”
Davis went further, suggesting the plaintiff had a strategy from the beginning to entrap Sharpe. The legal rep said Sharpe believes this was part of a larger blackmail scheme:
“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.”The statement emphasizes that Sharpe intends to fight the accusations in court and has no plans to settle. Instead, his legal team is gearing up for a tough courtroom battle, especially over the video evidence and accompanying text messages that may reveal more context.
This case seems to be hinging on how the jury interprets the edited clip versus the full video, which Sharpe’s team is entitled to obtain during the discovery phase.
The Role of the Video Footage and Text Messages
What could make or break this lawsuit is the video footage. According to Davis, the plaintiff shared a video with Sharpe’s lawyers that has been heavily edited. However, they’re demanding access to the full, unedited version, which Davis says has been withheld.
“This case will come down to what the videos show — both the edited one and the full version.”
In addition, Davis released alleged graphic text messages the woman sent to Sharpe, painting the encounter as not only consensual but mutual. These texts, while not shared in full publicly yet, are expected to be part of Sharpe’s defense strategy as he tries to expose inconsistencies in the narrative.
Still, regardless of what’s in the texts, the jury’s perception of that video will be everything. If it suggests a non-consensual act, the plaintiff has a stronger case. But if the footage supports Sharpe’s version of events, it may completely unravel her claims.
