Dan Le Batard thinks Shannon Sharpe is done at ESPN after bombshell sexual assault scandal
That's what Dan Le Batard speculated Tuesday following the Pro Football Hall of Famer's bombshell sexual assault scandal that rocked the sports world this spring, when Sharpe was accused of rape in a $50 million civil lawsuit and subsequently stepped away from the worldwide leader.
'I guess we probably all know at this point that Shannon Sharpe is not likely to ever work at ESPN again, right?' Le Batard, a former ESPN host, said on 'The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz' when discussing Max Kellerman's upcoming broadcast return to Netflix for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight.
4 Shannon Sharpe stepped away from ESPN in April 2025 after being accused of sexual assault in a bombshell lawsuit.
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4 Dan Le Batard speculated the NFL Hall of Famer's time at ESPN is all but over following the allegations.
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'I think we can assume, I think we can reasonably assume that Shannon Sharpe would like it to look like he has a chance to return, but I don't know that you can be Disney and allow any of what happened there.'
Sharpe, 56, joined ESPN's 'First Take' in 2023 after his departure from FS1's 'Undisputed' with Skip Bayless earlier in the year.
In April, the legendary tight end was named in a complaint filed in Nevada state court alleging assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery.
4 Shannon Sharpe began appearing on ESPN's 'First Take' in 2023.
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The plaintiff claimed Sharpe sexually assaulted her multiple times in late 2024 and early 2025.
Sharpe denied 'all allegations of coercion or misconduct' in a statement through his legal counsel, who claimed the three-time Super Bowl champion's accuser shared a 'secretly recorded' and 'heavily edited' video with him, alleging to illustrate a nonconsensual encounter.
'Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct — especially the gross lie of 'rape' — and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail,' Sharpe's attorney, Lanny J. Davis, said. 'He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court.'
Sharpe then stepped away from ESPN, noting he anticipated returning 'at the start of the NFL preseason.'
4 The three-time Super Bowl winner also hosts the 'Club Shay Shay' and 'Night Cap' programs.
YouTube
'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,' Sharpe said in a statement at the time.
ESPN told The Post, 'This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon's decision to step away.'
Stephen A. Smith, the network's $100 million star, said in May he is 'hopeful' for Sharpe's return as the NFL season approaches.
'He is emphatic that he is innocent of those things,' Smith said on Big Boy TV. 'But the court of public opinion is what the Disneys of the world and others concern themselves with. That's a more immediate issue.
'And unfortunately, that has worked against him at this particular moment in time. So, I'm hopeful this will all go away. I'm hopeful that I'll have my brother back on the airwaves talking football next season.'
Sharpe still hosts his 'Club Shay Shay' podcast and 'Nightcap' with Chad Ochocinco.
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