Shannon Sharpe will not return to ESPN: ‘They did what they felt they needed to do’
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Shannon Sharpe will not be returning to ESPN.
The development comes weeks after the former NFL star settled a $50-million lawsuit that accused him of rape. The Athletic was the first to report Wednesday that Sharpe won’t be returning to ESPN. Sharpe confirmed the news that night on his “Nightcap” podcast.
“I really enjoyed my time at ESPN,” Sharpe, who addressed the matter for about two minutes at the beginning of the show, said. “It gave me an opportunity to bring my audience that saw me really just grow. ... So I’m very, very grateful for that.”
Sharpe indicated that the decision came from the network. ESPN declined to comment for this article.
“They did what they felt they needed to do,” he said. “And I’m at peace with that.”
Sharpe, 56, first appeared on “First Take” in August 2023, following a seven-year run as a co-host on FS1’s “Undisputed.” In June 2024, he signed a multiyear contract with ESPN that expanded his role on “First Take” and other shows.
In a lawsuit filed on April 20 in Clark County in Nevada, Sharpe’s accuser sought damages for claims of assault, sexual assault, battery, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress after multiple alleged nonconsensual sexual encounters in her Las Vegas apartment between October and January.
Sharpe has denied the allegations. He announced days after the lawsuit was filed that he was temporarily stepping away from his duties as a commentator on “First Take” but would return in time for the 2025 NFL season.
At that time, an ESPN spokesperson said in a statement emailed to The Times that “this is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away.”
Sharpe has remained on his popular podcasts “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap.”
Attorney Tony Buzbee, whose firm represented the woman who filed the civil lawsuit against Sharpe earlier this year, announced the settlement on July 18 in a statement posted on Instagram.
Sharpe’s legal team said at the time that Buzbee’s statement should be considered the “final word” on the matter. Terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
A $50-million lawsuit that accused Shannon Sharpe of rape has been settled. ‘All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed,’ the accuser’s attorney said.
On Wednesday, Sharpe said he regretted that the news about his departure from ESPN surfaced days before his older brother, former Green Bay Packers great Sterling Sharpe, is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I hate the fact that I’m overshadowing my brother — the first two brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and this is what the headline is going to be for the next couple of days,” Shannon Sharpe, who was inducted in 2011, said.
“So, Bro, again, I know you told me that I don’t have to apologize, but I’m going to do it one final time tonight, and I won’t apologize again. I’m sorry that I upstaged you in this manner. You know that was never my intent. You’ve been my hero. You’ve been my role model from as long as I can remember, and I apologize.”
