Shannon Sharpe Steps Aside From ESPN Commitments to Focus on His Family — As NFL Great Battles OnlyFans Star Gabriella Zuniga's Shocking $50Million 'Rape' Lawsuit
Shannon Sharpe is stepping away from ESPN.
April 24 2025, Published 3:59 p.m. ET
Shannon Sharpe is leaving his job at ESPN as he battles accusations of rape and a $50million lawsuit, RadarOnline.com can confirm.
The NFL Hall of Famer has been sued by an OnlyFans model named Gabriella Zuniga, who claimed to have had an "abusive relationship" with the athlete for years.
Sharpe has been sued by OnlyFans model Gabriella Zuniga.
Sharpe is a guest and commentator on an array of ESPN shows and programs. On Thursday, he announced in a statement: "At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties.
"I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason."
Sharpe also maintained his relationship with Zuniga was "100% consensual."
He continued: "I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, fans, friends and colleagues."
ESPN said in a statement: "This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away."
Sharpe had appeared alongside Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's First Take on Mondays and Tuesdays.
He has also been in negotiations to score a new deal for his popular Club Shay Shay podcast and overall Shay Shay Media network that could exceed $100 million.
Sharpe's podcast has blown up since its debut in 2023, and boasts nearly four million subscribers on YouTube alone.
Zuniga accused him of choking her.
After several public rebuttals, Sharpe revealed yesterday the woman accusing him of rape is threatening to release a portion of their sex tape soon.
Sharpe went on Instagram to share his side of the story, saying that he was being blackmailed and extorted by the model.
"This is a shakedown," Sharpe said at the start of his video, before turning his attention to Zuniga's lawyer, Tony Buzbee, who is also in the news for going after Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs on sex trafficking allegations.
The 56-year-old continued: "Tony Buzbee targets Black men, and I believe he’s going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty, and plays into every stereotype you could possibly imagine."
Sharpe did not deny a tape exists but insisted it was much longer than the small portion that could be shared publicly.
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Zuniga tried to present proof of her case, releasing audio of a phone call in which the former Denver Bronco allegedly threatened to "choke" her.
The threat came after Zuniga warned Shape not to "manipulate" her during an argument.
An enraged Sharpe fired back: "If you say that word one more time, I'm gonna f------ choke the s--- out of you when I see you."
After several moments of silence, Zuniga replied that she doesn't want to be choked.
"Yes, you do," Shape replied. "I don't think you have a choice in the matter."
Earlier in the week, Sharpe promised to counter Zuniga's lawsuit with one of his own.
Sitting behind a desk on a television set, he addressed: "I’m going to be open, transparent, and defend myself because this isn’t right.
"Gabby and (her attorney) want $50million. What they’re getting is sued for defamation and trying to take me down."
