Accusation Of Shannon Sharpe Choking Former Co-worker Arises

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

Now that Shannon Sharpe could possibly be on the hook for $50 million for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he previously had a consensual relationship with, his past is being dredged up.

Before sitting across from First Take’s Stephen A. Smith at ESPN, he was a core member of FS1’s Undisputed team from 2016 to 2023. And now, he’s been accused of mistreating a woman during his time there, by a female production assistant who says he choked her at work. 

Two sources have confirmed the incident to Front Office Sports, adding that Sharpe avoided a lawsuit by paying the woman “several hundred thousand dollars.”

A representative for the three-time Super Bowl champion downplayed the incident, saying any contact onset was jokingly done in a group setting and not at all maliciously. 

“There was no incident of choking involving Shannon on the FS1 set. On one occasion, he and a few colleagues were involved in some light physical interaction in a playful context,” the rep told FOS. “Fox Sports later chose to resolve the matter privately. For further details, we recommend contacting Fox directly.” 

When approached, Fox, however, had nothing to add to the statement.

Another work-related controversy in Sharpe’s past has come to light from back in 2010. While a member of CBS’s NFL Today in-studio show, he was forced to take a leave of absence after a woman named Michele Bundy accused Sharpe of threatening her life and forcing her to have sex with him.

Details are shaky, but according to the Denver Post, Bundy was granted a temporary order of protection. Later, while representing herself in court, she voluntarily dismissed it, and Sharpe was never actually charged with a crime or arrested.

He returned to work soon after, but things haven’t been as cut and dry this time around as earlier this week, Jane Doe —or Gabriella Zuniga— purported phone calls and texts from Sharpe painting him as violent, threatening to “choke the sh-t” out of her.

In return, Sharpe has denied the allegations, saying Doe and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, are attempting to shake him down and threatening to release a clip of a sex tape.

“I believe he’s going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and play into every stereotype you could possibly imagine,” Sharpe said in a video posted to his Instagram.

Sharpe also said the woman was offered a $10 million settlement before abruptly filing the $50 lawsuit. 

Since the scandal couldn’t be resolved quickly, Sharpe announced he’d be stepping down from his ESPN duties, promising to return when the NFL preseason begins.

“The relationship in question was 100% consensual,” he begins the message.

See how social media is reacting to the ongoing Sharpe drama below.

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