Last week, ESPN commentator Shannon Sharpe announced he will be taking a temporary leave from his duties on ESPN’s First Take program. Sharpe made the announcement following a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who claims that the former NFL star sexually assaulted, harassed, and committed battery against her. According to a lawsuit filed on April 20 in Clark County, NV, the plaintiff, under the alias “Jane Doe,” said she was in a rocky relationship with Sharpe for nearly two years and is seeking $50 million in damages.
Sharpe denied the allegations through his lawyer and several posts on social media. Furthermore, according to the New York Post, Sharpe was in mediation with his accuser, with Sharpe’s lawyer, Lanny J. Davis, stating that his client was at least willing to settle for $10 million.
Meanwhile, Sharpe’s co-host Stephen A. Smith was a guest on the BigBoyTV podcast hosted by syndicated radio host Kurt Alexander, a.k.a. ‘Big Boy,’ and revealed he found out about the lawsuit just minutes before going on air. As a result, he knew that the allegations would lead to Sharpe leaving the ESPN airwaves.
“Although I was hopeful that it ultimately would not lead to him being off the air, I knew it wasn’t going to go down like that because I know Disney,” said Smith. “The court of public opinion is what the Disney’s of the world and others concerned themselves with. That’s a more immediate issue, and unfortunately, that has worked against him at this particular moment in time.”
Subsequently, Sharpe’s announcement last week stated that he was electing to step aside temporarily from ESPN to devote more time to his family and to respond to what he termed as “false and disruptive allegations” against him. However, he has not made the same decision to step back from his NightCap podcast and Club Shay Shay ventures. In fact, Sharpe broadcast live from the site of the NFL Draft in Green Bay alongside co-host Chad Ochocinco just hours after making his announcement about his temporary departure from ESPN.
Additionally, Smith said that while he will not reveal the details of the conversations he’s had with Sharpe since the lawsuit, he does believe Sharpe is innocent and hopes he can return to the airwaves in the summer as planned.
“I know the brother tells me he’s innocent. I believe him,” said Smith. “I know that he does not trust easy, and that honest conversations that he’s had with me he wouldn’t have with just anybody. I’m going to honor that, and I’m going to make sure that he knows and that everybody knows that no matter how things go down, not to say that he would rely on me, but if he ever chose to, anything that I can do for him as a friend I will do.”
Moreover, the First Take host and executive producer noted that Sharpe was pushed out from his duties previously with FS1, saying he knew there were some people internally at the FOX network who hoped it would be the end of Sharpe’s career. Smith added that he is grateful for everything Sharpe has contributed during his time at ESPN since joining the network, and he hopes for that to continue later this year following Sharpe’s temporary leave.
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