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Shannon Sharpe has responded to the $50 million lawsuit filed by Jane Doe that accuses him of sexual assault and battery. In a post on his social media accounts, Sharpe, via his legal representation Lanny J. Davis, refuted the allegations and released the text messages of his encounters with Jane Doe, whom Davis identifies as Gabriella Zuniga.
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) April 21, 2025
The letter, in part, reads:
“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. It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations – and it will not succeed.
In her effort to extract a large financial settlement, Ms. Zuniga presented Mr. Sharpe with a secretly recorded video of a consensual sexual encounter. We believe the video has been heavily edited and taken entirely out of context, crafted to falsely portray a consensual act as non-consensual. Ms. Zuniga has refused to provide a copy of the full, unedited version of the recording to Mr. Sharpe's legal team.
To set the record straight, we are releasing several of Ms. Zuniga's own explicit text messages to Mr. Sharpe that clearly indicate the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature — and, in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.
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.
These messages are just a sampling of a broader pattern of graphic, sexual communications initiated by Ms. Zuniga. The evidence paints a clear picture: this was a consensual, adult relationship that included role-playing, sexual language, and fantasy scenarios explicitly requested by Ms. Zuniga.
The edited tape that Ms. Zuniga secretly taped and showed to Mr. Sharpe during her blackmail attempt tries to falsely portray, as a result of this editing and out of context from prior text messages, that the sexual activity was not consensual. But Mr. Sharpe now believes her secret taping was all part of her planned set-up as part of her blackmail scheme, as distorted by her edited tape, a copy of which she refused to make available to Mr. Sharpe or his counsel.
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.”
On Monday morning, Sharpe was hit with a $50 million sexual assault lawsuit, per a report by TMZ Sports. The 13-page lawsuit was filed by a “Jane Doe” in Nevada, alleging Sharpe had committed assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery, and that he engaged in the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit states that she and Sharpe started a relationship in 2023 after meeting at a gym in Los Angeles. She claims Sharpe relentlessly pursued her, repeatedly calling, texting, and “demanding she come to his Beverly Glen mansion.” The relationship is described in the suit as abusive and controlling.
The complaint alleges that Sharpe recorded their sexual activities, something without her knowledge, and that he was sharing the videos with others without her permission or knowledge. The suit also alleges that Sharpe threatened to kill her after she attempted to share her location on her iPhone with her friends.
“Plaintiff tried sharing her location with friends from her iPhone — just in case,” the legal filing obtained by TMZ Sports says. “But Sharpe saw her doing this. The moment he realized what she was doing, he grabbed her by the neck and told her, ‘If you ever do that again, I will f***ing kill you.'”
The lawsuit states that Jane Doe claims she was involved with Sharpe last October after the Club Shay-Shay host unintentionally recorded himself during a sexual encounter with an unidentified woman in September. She tried to end the relationship, but the lawsuit alleges that he relentlessly pursued her.
She alleges multiple instances of sexual assault in her lawsuit. According to Doe, the first incident occurred in October 2024 at her apartment, where she claims Sharpe forced himself on her while she was “crying and sobbing.” The second alleged incident took place a few weeks later, in January 2025. Doe states that Sharpe came to her home under the pretense of delivering a Christmas and birthday gift, but instead violently sexually assaulted her again.
Jane Doe, represented by attorneys Micah Nash and Tony Buzbee, is seeking $50 million in damages in the civil case.
