Shannon Sharpe is no longer at ESPN, and his chances of returning to the sports giant might be slimmer now. According to an exclusive RadarOnline report, a former ESPN producer Michele Evans has filed two lawsuits in New York against him, one for defamation and another alleging sexual assault.
Evans claims she became romantically involved with the former American football player while she covered his Denver team for local ESPN TV in the early 2000s. She reportedly claimed to Radar last year that he sexually assaulted her after she accused him of cheating on her.
"It's important to the public record that ESPN and its talent understand that I wasn’t just a stranger filing a claim," Evans reportedly stated. "I was a former ESPN employee with a long track record in the industry."
She reportedly claimed that she and Sharpe had dated for almost a decade when she got into a fight with him for his alleged cheating in September of 2010. Michele alleged that he "proceeded to forcefully subdue me, compelling me to my knees and subsequently engaging in non-consensual oral penetration." "Thereafter, Shannon's coercion escalated as he maneuvered me onto the bed and achieved non-consensual vaginal penetration, all the while proclaiming his intent to 'Make it so no other man would want me,'" the lawsuit reportedly alleged. This lawsuit is reportedly under New York City's Gender-Motivated Violence Act.
Why Was Shannon Sharpe Sued?
Sharpe's lawyer reportedly dismissed Michele Evans' sexual assault allegations in a statement to Radar. "It should be no surprise that when someone famous is in the news, all sorts of people crawl out of the woodwork to share their connection to that person in an attempt to profit from that alleged relationship," the statement read. "Sadly, Ms. Evans became obsessed with Shannon and decided to manufacture a claim against him."
This comes after Shannon Sharpe settled a sexual assault and battery lawsuit from an online influencer. ESPN cut ties with Shannon Sharpe after this lawsuit, and he hopes to go back one day.
"I would love to go back if they were to call," he told Front Office Sports last weekend at the Super Bowl. "That is their call. But obviously, I'm more than willing, I'm more than capable. I still have a fan base. I still have a big following. If a reunion is in order, I’m amenable to it."
