July 31, 2025
‘I just wish this thing could have waited until Monday, because I hate the fact that I’ve overshadowed my brother.’
ESPN has parted ways with Shannon Sharpe.
According to The Athletic, the sports network has cut ties with Sharpe after he took himself off the air after a woman filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Club Shay Shay podcast host in April.
The lawsuit was settled July 18, according to the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, who posted on social media that both parties agreed to dismiss the case.
The woman, known as “Jane Doe” in the suit, was seeking $50 million for “pain and suffering, psychological and emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment and humiliation.” Sharpe publicly denied the allegations immediately after his accuser filed the suit in April, calling the case a “shakedown” attempt.
Sharpe, who had been off ESPN since April, has said he and the woman had a consensual sexual relationship. He promised he would return when the NFL season starts September 4. ESPN decided otherwise.
On his podcast, Night Cap, Sharpe said he was more concerned that his brother Sterling’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend would be overshadowed by the news.
Sharpe requested the network wait until August 4 to avoid diverting attention from Sterling’s honor.
“(ESPN) did what they felt they needed to do, and I’m at peace with that,” Sharpe said in the video clip. “But I just wish this thing could have waited until Monday, because I hate the fact that I’ve overshadowed my brother. The first two brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and this is what the headline’s going to be for the next couple of days.”
When Sterling is inducted on August 2, he and Shannon will become the first brothers to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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