Shannon Sharpe has denied the rape allegations made against him in recently-filed lawsuit.
The ESPN analyst is the subject of a $50 million complaint put into motion by one Jane Doe in Nevada on Sunday, in which he is accused of multiple instances of sexual assault.
Sharpe released a statement through his attorney, Lanny J. Davis, on Monday afternoon.
“Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct – especially the gross lie of “rape” — and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail. He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on the facts and the law.”
TPS has also received several screenshots of text messages between the former NFL TE and the woman in question, who has been identified as Gabriella Zuniga.
In one supposed text message sent on January 1, 2025 – after Zuniga claims she was raped in October of 2024 – she asks for $25,000 for each one of her cheeks.
“I know u miss this big juicy a**…$25k for each cheek,” it reads.
Other examples of text messages from Zuniga are shown below:
“Only if you put that baby gravy in me, then I can do whatever I want to me.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, November 23, 2023
“I wanna put my tongue in your a**hole and then marry u.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, January 12, 2024
“That’s my daddy f**k I want u to put a big black baby in me.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, August 6, 2024
“You better crave it cuz ur gonna be stuck with it 4 life after you put a big black baby in me.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, August 11, 2024
You can see some of the screenshots right from exchanged text messages here :
Shannon Sharpe’s Attorney Reveals Complaint Tried To Extort Him With Edited Video
Shannon Sharpe’s accuser has been accused of trying to shake the former pro down for millions of dollars.
“This lawsuit, filed by Gabriella Zuniga and orchestrated by her attorney Tony Buzbee, is a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars,” Sharpe’s counsel noted. “It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.”
Zuniga has also been accused of secretly recording a video of one of her encounters with Sharpe, which his defense says is “heavily edited and taken entirely out of context, crafted to falsely portray a consensual act as non-consensual.”
“Contrary to the allegations she makes in her lawsuit, consensual sex continued until January 2, 2025 – the day after she asked for “$25,000 per cheek,” as quoted above from her text message to Mr. Sharpe.”
It appears that Shannon Sharpe is ready to fight the allegations in court.
Meanwhile, ESPN has not issued a statement, with Sharpe appearing on ‘First Take’ as he typically would this Monday morning.
