Former NFL tight end and current media personality Shannon Sharpe is taking a page straight out of Jay-Z’s defensive playbook, firing back publicly just hours after being slapped with a $50 million lawsuit.
The legal action, filed by a Jane Doe represented by the same lawyer who unsuccessfully pursued Jay-Z in a similar case brought last year, accuses Sharpe of assault, sexual assault, battery, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit, filed on April 20 by the unidentified woman, alleges that Sharpe sexually assaulted her multiple times in late 2024 and early 2025.
According to the complaint, the New York Post reports, the woman claims she and Sharpe were in a “rocky consensual relationship” for nearly two years before the alleged incidents occurred.
“A woman can say ‘yes’ to consensual sexual relations with a man ninety-nine times, but when she says ‘no’ even once, that ‘no’ means no,” reads the first page of the 13-page complaint filed in Nevada state court. The lawsuit alleges that Sharpe, who is more than 30 years older than the plaintiff, manipulated and controlled her throughout their relationship.
Within hours of the lawsuit being filed, Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, released a statement characterizing the civil suit as “a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars.”
Davis claims the litigation has been “orchestrated by her attorney Tony Buzbee,” and released explicit text messages allegedly sent by the accuser to Sharpe.
The released texts include messages where the plaintiff allegedly wrote, “I want you to put a dog collar around my neck and choke me with it while you’re f—king me” and “only if you put that baby gravy in me” and “I want u to put a big black baby in me.”
Davis’ statement claims that the text messages are part of his client’s defense, even though they reportedly ended in August 2024, before the alleged assaults occurred in October 2024 and January 2025. He further alleges that the plaintiff “secretly recorded” a consensual sexual encounter and edited the video to “falsely portray a consensual sexual act as non-consensual.”
Sharpe’s aggressive defense strategy of responding publicly mirrors that of rapper Jay-Z, who recently saw the dismissal of sexual assault complaint brought by the same attorney who is bringing the suit against Sharpe.
Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee represented a woman who accused Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault in an attack she claimed happened when she was a teenager at a party in 2000. That case against the two hip-hop moguls was eventually dismissed with prejudice by the plaintiff in February after Jay-Z called the lawsuit “frivolous, fictitious, and appalling” and claimed it cost him approximately $20 million in lost business opportunities.
The timing of Sharpe’s legal battle is particularly notable, as reports surfaced on April 19 that he is seeking a $100 million contract for his family of podcasts that includes the popular “Club Shay Shay,” according to Front Office Sports.
The ESPN personality has vowed through his attorney to “fight these false claims vigorously in court.”
Social media has been quick to react to the explicit text messages released by Sharpe’s team.
One person on his Instagram commented, “You gotta relax man,” while another wrote, “I’m sure he innocent…but Unc need a [poking emoji] time for lettin her say put a ‘big black baby’ multiple times.”
A third comment observed, “Shawty was going crazy in the text thread.”
Some commenters invoked Sharpe’s catchphrase “Lakers in 5,” a signature prediction he made famous on ESPN’s “First Take,” suggesting the Los Angeles Lakers would win an NBA championship series in just five games. The phrase has become a rallying cry for Sharpe’s fans.
“‘Big black baby?’ [Yuck Face Emoji] Fetishize, Tellin’ lies, credit-wise, LAKERS IN 5,” one person tweeted.
A funny women wow this is rare
— Bond, James Bond (@ChunkyHunk_) April 21, 2025what a fuckin shot
Another Twitter user wrote, “‘Trying to take my cash, they won’t find my stash, I just wanted some ass, Lakers in 5’ – Shannon.”
— the Urban Yogi (@Lazce) April 21, 2025
The lawsuit alleges that the relationship between Sharpe and the plaintiff began deteriorating after he accidentally livestreamed himself having sex with another woman in September 2024.
However, the complaint states that the plaintiff in this case is not the woman from that incident.
As both sides prepare for what could be a contentious legal battle, Davis has made it clear that the case may ultimately come down to the jury’s interpretation of the video evidence.
According to Davis, Sharpe “categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct — especially the gross lie of ‘rape'” and believes the recording was “part of her planned set-up as part of her blackmail scheme.”
