Ugly choking accusation from Shannon Sharpe's past emerges as controversy grows
Embattled ESPN personality and former NFL great Shannon Sharpe was accused of choking a female production assistant while he was a co-host on FS1's 'Undisputed,' according to Front Office Sports.
The report comes shortly after Sharpe announced that he would be taking a temporary leave from ESPN after a woman filed a $50 million lawsuit against him in Nevada on Sunday, claiming he raped her.
Sharpe's stint at Fox Sports went from 2016-2023; the date of the alleged incident with a PA is unclear.
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FOS reports he settled with the female accuser, who did not file any lawsuit against Sharpe, for several hundred thousand dollars.
Shannon Sharpe on his 'Club Shay Shay' podcast.
Club Shay Shay/YouTube
'There was no incident of choking involving Shannon on the FS1 set,' Sharpe's rep said in a statement.
'On one occasion, he and a few colleagues were involved in some light physical interaction in a playful context. Fox Sports later chose to resolve the matter privately.'
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A Fox Sports spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.
The new revelation is the latest accusation against Sharpe, who has been in the headlines related to the rape allegations that surfaced on Sunday, which he has denied on multiple occasions.
Sharpe is alleged to have assaulted, sexually assaulted, committed battery, sexual battery and engaged in the intentional infliction of emotional distress of a woman who is more than 30 years younger than him.
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Sharpe co-hosted FS1's 'Undisputed' with Skip Bayless from 2016-2023.
Getty Images
The woman's legal team has released a pair of audio clips that are said to be of Sharpe telling Jane Doe – the way she was named in the lawsuit – that he would 'choke' her.
Sharpe's lawyers have pushed back on the claims, alleging that the two had been in a consensual relationship that involved 'role-playing' and 'fantasy.'
'The relationship in question was 100% consensual,' Sharpe said in the statement on social media on Thursday, announcing a temporary leave from ESPN.
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'At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties. I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason. I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, fans, friends and colleagues.'
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