Profile Football Hall of Fame and ESPN analyst Sharp announced he has stepped down from his hosting duties after being hit by a $50 million lawsuit against sexual assault accusations.
On Wednesday, the attorney for Sharp’s accuser released an audio recording of her joking about choking her publicly. She claims that Sharp raped her twice, threatened her, and recorded their sexual interaction twice without her consent.
“I will be dedicated this time to my family and deal with and deal with these false and destructive allegations.”
Sharp responded by claiming that the video was seemingly edited to misrepresent consensual interactions with the accuser.
On Thursday, he released a statement Announces his departure from ESPN.
“My statement is here, and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100% agreed,” he wrote.
“At this point, I have chosen to temporarily put it aside from ESPN obligations,” he added. “I will be dedicated this time to my family and deal with these false and destructive allegations set against me. I will return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.”
Sharp previously revealed that the accuser is Gabriella “Gabbi” Zuniga, the only model, and denounced lawyer Tony Buzby “adjusting” what he called a “shakedown.” He said he would submit a countersuit for honor loss.
“Tony Buzbee is targeting black men. I think he’s going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and play with every stereotype you can imagine,” he added.
ESPN provided a brief statement after Sharpe’s announcement.
“This is a serious situation and we agree with Shannon’s decision to run away,” the company said.
Litigation I said Zuniga met Sharp at the gym in Los Angeles when she was 19 years old. She claimed that he became more violent as the relationship progressed, and that he threatened to kill her in one incident.
“We are truly grateful for the overwhelming and continuous support we have received from our family, fans, friends and colleagues,” Sharp concluded in a latest statement.
Sharp played as a tight ending between 1990 and 2003 for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.
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