Shannon Sharpe is facing a slew of startling allegations, including sexual assault and battery, from a woman known as Jane Doe in a new lawsuit. The accusations came seven months after Sharpe accidentally live-streamed a sexually explicit incident. After the lawsuit was filed, the ESPN commentator announced he will not be seen on the network’s First Take for the time being, prompting viewers to assume he was fired.
Below, find out whether or not Sharpe will return to ESPN and learn about the lawsuit against him.
Sharpe is a former NFL tight end, best known for his time playing with the Denver Broncos from 1990 through 1999 and again from 2002 to 2003. He is still regarded as one of the league’s greatest tight ends of all time and is a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Following his retirement from the field, Sharpe became a sports commentator for CBS then eventually joined ESPN for First Take. In addition to network gigs, Sharpe has also hosted podcasts, among them being “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap.”
No, ESPN has not fired Sharpe. He acknowledged that he was stepping away from his job at First Take to manage the sexual assault lawsuit against him in April 2025.
“At this juncture, I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties,” Sharpe wrote in a statement shared via X on April 24. “I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me.”
Sharpe then added that he plans “to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.”
