Shannon Sharpe offered his sexual assault accuser “at least $10 million” in a settlement before she filed her bombshell $50 million lawsuit, the ESPN analyst’s attorney said.
The former NFL star’s attorney, Lanny Davis, held an April 22 conference call where he revealed the “tens of millions of dollars” Sharpe offered to the plaintiff, since identified as Gabriella Zuniga, to settle the case before the lawsuit was filed, according to NBC Sports.
When asked to clarify, Davis confirmed that Sharpe offered “at least $10 million” to his accuser in a formal mediation session, before Davis got involved in the case.
BREAKING: Shannon Sharpe offered TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars for his accuser to keep quiet NOT $10 Million as some reported. Bare minimum that $20 Million dollars. Audio of his attorney confirming this
pic.twitter.com/xBwahavmBW
— Melanie King (@realmelanieking) April 23, 2025
The revelation has sparked speculation about the credibility of the plaintiff, who initially filed the suit under the name Jane Doe before being identified in a statement from Sharpe’s legal team.
Sharpe was quick to respond to the lawsuit, calling it a “shakedown.” However, the court of public opinion is now questioning Sharpe’s claims of blackmail after learning about his private multi-million dollar offer.
“Why so much money if Mr. Sharpe is just being attacked by an attorney that only targets “black excellence”…?” one X user asked. “Perhaps she saw/experienced something more damning than what the media is leading on.”
“Wouldn’t offer to pay money if you wasn’t guilty,” added someone else.
Now Sharpe’s future on ESPN’s First Take could be at risk.
“I can tell you I also spoke to co-chairman of Disney, the boss, Jimmy Pitaro, who made it very, very clear [that ESPN] is taking this matter very seriously 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,” ESPN star Stephen A. Smith, co-host of First Take, said on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show.
“And that is all he said,” Smith added. “And I can mention his name because I received his permission to say that.”
Smith noted his lack of knowledge on “what that means” for Sharpe—but hopes his “friend” is cleared in the matter.
“In my perfect world…the case is ultimately dropped and Shannon is allowed to continue on First Take and continue to thrive and shine and have an illustrious career in the podcast stratosphere,” Smith said. “In my perfect world, he moves on, and somehow, some way, we find this all to be false.”
However, he noted that “it doesn’t seem like that’s the way things are about to go down.”
RELATED CONTENT: YouTube Series ‘Hawks AF’ Featuring D.C. Young Fly Joins Shannon Sharpe’s Shay Shay Media
