Ex-NFL player and podcaster Shannon Sharpe was accused of rape in a Nevada lawsuit filed Sunday and latter characterized the legal action as a “shakedown,” saying in a Tuesday statement he plans to sue the plaintiff and her high-profile lawyer, Tony Buzbee, for defamation.

Former NFL player Shannon Sharpe is seen on the set of The NFL Network along Radio Row on February … More 05, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

The lawsuit filed says a Jane Doe had a “rocky consensual relationship” with Sharpe, 56, and accused the former football player of rape, harassment and causing emotional distress, claiming Sharpe raped her twice in October and once in January.

The complaint, which seeks $50 million in damages, also alleges Sharpe insisted on recording sexual encounters, at times without Doe’s knowledge, and claimed they were for personal use, though the plaintiff accused Sharpe of sharing videos with friends on multiple occasions.

Sharpe called the lawsuit a “shakedown” in a video statement Tuesday and said he believed Buzbee was going to release a clip of a sex tape between him and Doe that “tries to make me look guilty and play into every stereotype you could possibly imagine.”

The clip mentioned by Sharpe, who demanded Buzbee release the full, unedited sex tape, has not been released as of Wednesday.

Sharpe said he would sue Doe and Buzbee for defamation, with Lanny Davis, Sharpe’s lawyer, also releasing a statement Tuesday that shared alleged text messages between Sharpe and Doe and claimed the lawsuit from Buzbee was “filled with lies, distortions and misrepresentations.”

Buzbee responded to Sharpe and Davis with his own statement, saying Sharpe disclosed the existence of the video to “get ahead of it,” adding the video will be played to a jury in the case.

Buzbee also published an audio transcript between Doe and Sharpe, which was shared with TMZ on Tuesday, that seems to show Sharpe threatening to choke the accuser after she claimed he was manipulating her (Davis did not confirm the authenticity of the audio to NBC News but noted he had “no reason to dispute” what Sharpe said and insisted the podcaster was not being literal).

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Who Is Tony Buzbee?

Buzbee has been involved in several high-profile lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct by public figures like Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs, the latter of whom will soon head to trial over federal charges including sex trafficking. Buzbee voluntarily dropped a rape lawsuit against the two rappers in February, when Jay-Z, also known as Shawn Carter, and Combs denied the allegations. Jay-Z called the allegations “frivolous, fictitious and appalling” and called Buzbee a “deplorable human,” encouraging the lawyer to take the case to criminal court instead of a civil one, before the lawsuit was eventually dropped. Jay-Z has since sued Buzbee for alleged defamation and extortion. Buzbee also represented several individuals in lawsuits against Combs alleging sexual assault and other forms of misconduct. The Texas lawyer withdrew from 15 cases against the rapper in March, stepping down from one of them because he was not admitted to practice law in the Southern District of New York.

Key Background

Sharpe, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has risen to greater public prominence on TV and social media following his career in the NFL, having stints on Fox Sports and ESPN. He hosts his own podcast, titled “Club Shay Shay,” and has over 4 million subscribers on YouTube. The commentator is reportedly nearing a $100 million agreement involving his podcast and other shows that are part of his media network, according to Front Office Sports. Sharpe’s sex life has made headlines before, as the commentator accidentally livestreamed audio of an encounter between him and a woman last year on Instagram. Sharpe initially claimed the audio was the result of a hack before admitting it was posted by mistake, saying on one of his podcasts “It wasn’t a prank, it was me being a healthy, active male.”

Further Reading

Lawsuit Accusing Jay-Z And Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Of Rape Dropped (Forbes)