Shannon Sharp’s team issued a statement to daily callers on Wednesday, announcing that he is temporarily away from ESPN.
“At this point, I have chosen to temporarily stay aside from ESPN obligations,” he said in a statement. “This time I’m dedicated to my family and will deal with and deal with these false and destructive allegations set against me.”
The suspected victim filed a $50 million rape lawsuit Sunday against a professional soccer hall of fame. Sharp denied the allegations against him.
Hollywood, California – September 22: Shannon Sharp will be attending a special screening of Netflix’s “The Redeem Team” at the Tudum Theatre in Hollywood, California on September 22, 2022. (Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images on Netflix)
“We will return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason,” Sharp’s statement continued.
He continues, “I am truly grateful for the overwhelming and continuous support I have received from my family, fans, friends and colleagues.”
Sharp referenced a personal statement he issued on April 22nd on his official Instagram page.
“My personal statement is here and this is the truth,” Sharp told the caller in a statement. “The relationship in question was 100% agreed.”
ATLANTA, GA – November 8: Shannon Sharp will be taking part in ESPN’s first take at Clark Atlanta University on November 8, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Griffin/Getty Images)
Sharp previously claimed that he believed the sex tape would be published by the victim’s lawyer, Tony Buzby.
“I believe he will release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and try to play every stereotype I can imagine,” he told his Instagram followers.
Sharp’s lawyer, Lanny J. Davis, insisted the video was “out of context,” and told the Daily Caller that Sharp was “set up” in an exclusive interview on April 22. Sharp’s representatives are said to share explicit text messages and images that she allegedly exchanged between Sharp and the victim, and demand a variety of sexual acts that portray the various sexual acts and roles that it was portrayed. (Related: Exclusive: Shannon Sharp’s lawyer speaks in rape allegations)
Davis intends to file a rebuttal by describing Sharp as “a truly great man, a sincere man, a man with a good heart.”
Sharpe’s return date to ESPN has not been declared.
