ESPN cuts ties with Shannon Sharpe following settlement of sexual assault lawsuit, AP source says

Former NFL football player and sports analyst Shannon Sharpe poses at a special screening of the Netflix documentary film "The Redeem Team," Sept. 22, 2022, at Netflix Tudum Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Hall of Fame tight end-turned-broadcaster Shannon Sharpe will not return to ESPN, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The decision comes less than two weeks after Sharpe resolved a lawsuit that accused him of sexually assaulting a woman during their relationship. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced.

Sharpe’s last appearance on ESPN was in late April, when the lawsuit was filed in Nevada. No details of the settlement were released. The lawsuit had sought $50 million.

The 57-year-old Sharpe called the accusations “false and disruptive” at the time they were levied and hoped to return in time for the NFL season.

Instead, ESPN opted to move on from the brash four-time All-Pro tight end who won three Super Bowls during his 14-year career.

Sharpe joined ESPN in 2023 and signed a multiyear contract in 2024. He served as a panelist on the network’s morning show “First Take.”

Sharpe has been a staple on TV and social media since retiring in 2003. He joined CBS in 2004 as an analyst on “The NFL Today” studio show before leaving in 2013. Three years later, he joined forces with Skip Bayless on the FS1 sports debate show “Undisputed.” Sharpe left in 2023 after Bayless took a shot at Sharpe’s NFL playing career during a debate a couple of months earlier.

Sharpe still has his “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap” podcasts with former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson.

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, Sharpe retired as the NFL’s all-time leader among tight ends in receptions (815), yards receiving (10,060) and touchdowns (62). Those records have been broken.

Sterling Sharpe, Shannon’s older brother, will be inducted on Saturday.

Joe Reedy, The Associated Press