ESPN has yet to make any public statements about Shannon Sharpe since troubling allegations were made against him, but the Hall of Fame tight end’s future with the network appears to be in doubt.
A woman filed a lawsuit in Nevada on Sunday in which she accuses Sharpe of assaulting her on multiple different occasions at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025. The plaintiff says she was in an abusive relationship with Sharpe that began after the two met at a Los Angeles gym in 2023. The woman, who was later identified by Sharpe’s legal team as adult-content creator Gabriella Zuniga, is seeking more than $50 million in damages.
In a report on Wednesday, Outkick’s Bobby Burack cited ESPN sources who have “expressed doubt” that Sharpe will remain with the network regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit from Zuniga is not the only active one against Sharpe. As Matt Moret of The Athletic pointed out, Zuniga’s lawsuit makes reference to a separate lawsuit that was filed by a woman in 2023 who made similar allegations against Sharpe.
The woman in the second lawsuit, Michele Bundy, accused Sharpe of assaulting her when the two were in a relationship in 2010. Sharpe was with CBS at the time and was placed on leave after Bundy claimed Sharpe forced her to have sex with him.
Sharpe was also involved in an incident in September in which he live-streamed audio of himself having sex with a woman. Though some thought Sharpe did so intentionally, he called it a mistake and said he was embarrassed.
Burack’s sources noted that ESPN parted ways with Michael Irvin in 2023 after the Hall of Fame wide receiver faced troubling allegations from a woman leading up to the Super Bowl. Sharpe was one of the replacements for Irvin on “First Take.”
Sharpe made his regularly scheduled appearances on “First Take” this week on Monday and Tuesday. He has vehemently denied all of the allegations from Zuniga and said the lawsuit is an attempted shakedown.
Prior to the lawsuit being filed, a report said Sharpe, who also hosts the popular “Club Shay Shay” podcast, was on the verge of signing a $100 million media deal.
