“Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship,” Jane Doe’s attorney said in a statement
Former NFL player and media personality Shannon Sharpe has settled a lawsuit with a former partner who had accused him of rape. On Thursday, the woman’s lawyer shared on social media that they had reached an agreement and the lawsuit would be dismissed.
“Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship,” the plaintiff’s attorney Tony Buzbee said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution. All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed.”
At the time of the lawsuit, in November, Sharpe announced he would take a temporary leave from his role at ESPN, writing in a statement online that the relationship in question was “100% consensual,” calling the allegations “false and disruptive.”
“I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason,” he wrote at the time. “I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, friends and colleagues.” Sharpe has not appeared on ESPN since April.
The civil complaint filed in Nevada by a Jane Doe plaintiff claimed that Sharpe allegedly assaulted her during a “rocky consensual relationship that lasted nearly two years” that began in 2023 when she was 19 years old. The $50 million lawsuit claimed that Sharpe “violently sexually assaulted and anally raped Plaintiff two different times” in October 2024. The complaint also alleged that Sharpe would record and share videos of his sexual encounters with Doe without her consent or knowledge.
In the days following the lawsuit’s filing, lawyers for both sides have leaked text messages and audio recordings between Sharpe and Doe via outlets like TMZ.
A rep for Sharpe did not immediately return Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
www.rollingstone.com
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