Lawyer: Lawsuit that accused former NFL star of rape in Las Vegas is settled
An attorney for a woman who accused former National Football League star and popular media personality Shannon Sharpe of sexually assaulting her in Las Vegas said Friday a lawsuit related to the accusation has been resolved.
Tony Buzbee, the attorney for the accuser, who was identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, said in a post on X on Friday that a “mutually agreed upon resolution” was reached after “protracted and respectful negotiations.”
The Buzbee Law Firm, based in Texas, filed a lawsuit in District Court in April.
“All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily and the matter is closed,” Buzbee said in the social media post. “The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”
No details about the settlement were released. The lawsuit sought $50 million.
The lawsuit had accused Sharpe of raping the woman in October 2024 and again in January at her Las Vegas apartment.
Sharpe, 57, called the allegations “false and disruptive” in a statement in April. He also described the lawsuit as a “shakedown” in an Instagram video.
JANE DOE V. SHANNON SHARPE
On April 20, 2025, The Buzbee Law Firm filed a complaint in Nevada making several allegations against Shannon Sharpe on behalf of our client. Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship. After protracted and respectful…
— Tony Buzbee (@TonyBuzbee2) July 18, 2025
Buzbee said Sharpe and the accuser were previously in a long-term relationship. The woman first met Sharpe at a gym in Los Angeles in 2023 when she was 20, and a nearly two-year relationship followed, according to the lawsuit.
A three-time Super Bowl champion, Sharpe played in over 200 NFL games during his 14-year pro football career. A prolific tight end, he amassed over 10,000 receiving yards and scored 62 touchdowns. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
After his playing career, Sharpe became a popular sports media figure and podcaster. Amid the allegations, Sharpe announced in April that he was stepping away from his work at ESPN, but pledged to return by the start of the NFL preseason.
After the lawsuit was filed, Las Vegas police said in April they were not investigating Sharpe in relation to the sex assaults alleged in the lawsuit. The Metropolitan Police Department told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in an email that Sharpe “has not been listed in any criminal investigations.”
When reached by phone Saturday, Sharpe’s attorney, David Chesnoff of Las Vegas, declined to comment.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
