ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith isn’t holding back his thoughts on the legal strategy surrounding his First Take co-host Shannon Sharpe, who’s facing a $50 million sexual assault lawsuit. Speaking on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith expressed concern about how Sharpe’s legal team is handling the case—particularly their decision to publicly disclose explicit messages from the accuser.
“They mentioned her name and they revealed some of those explicit text messages,” Smith said during Wednesday’s episode. “That was uncomfortable. And I don’t know if that’s a strategy that would work.”
Sharpe’s legal issues began Monday when a woman filed a lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada, accusing the NFL Hall of Famer of assault, sexual assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The alleged incidents reportedly occurred between October and January. According to the lawsuit, the two met at a gym in Los Angeles in 2023, when Sharpe was 54 and the woman was 20.
Shannon Sharpe’s Innonence, at the top of Stephen A. Smith’s wishes
While Smith has his doubts about the approach taken by Sharpe’s defense team, he emphasized his hope that the truth will prevail.
“I am sincerely hopeful and prayerful that he’s innocent,” Smith said.
Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, stated that his client offered the plaintiff “at least $10 million” during mediation to resolve the issue quietly, but that offer was turned down. Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing the woman, confirmed the settlement attempt on Instagram, saying, “My client rejected that offer, choosing instead to proceed with litigation.”
Smith also shared that ESPN’s leadership is closely monitoring the case. “I can tell you I also spoke to (the) co-chairman of Disney, the boss, Jimmy Pitaro, who made it very, very clear that we are taking this matter very seriously,” Smith said. “And we are looking into this very, very closely. And once we gather as many facts as we possibly can, we will go from there.”
Sharpe, for his part, has categorically denied all allegations. On Tuesday, he posted a video on Instagram calling the lawsuit “a shakedown,” and declared that he plans to countersue both the plaintiff and her attorney.
The case is still developing, and both ESPN and the public are watching closely as the legal proceedings unfold.
For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at papadanph@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
