Shannon Sharpe‘s sexual assault lawsuit and its whirlwind of developments have garnered many reactions and opinions. Stephen A. Smith, who is a close colleague of the Hall of Famer, weighed in on the matter and called it a “sad situation” all around. In a new YouTube video posted on April 22 on titled “My thoughts on the Shannon Sharpe situation,” the sports journalist spoke for 20 minutes about his nuanced opinion regarding the severe situation.
The NBA analyst began by acknowledging the close relationship he as with Sharpe as they have worked together over the years at ESPN and achieved milestones together. “I know he’s been through a lot in life, he’s overcome a lot of things… all I can speak about is what I know based on the reports and I can speak about ESPN and Disney,” Smith said as he added he’s “sincerely hopeful that [Sharpe] is completely innocent of the allegations levied against him.”
“Let me be very clear about where I’m coming from; I’m a bit torn in terms of his response,” he admitted before contextualizing who was a part of the plaintiff’s team. “On one hand, Tony Buzbee has sued JAY-Z, he did sue Diddy… or represented the women who were accusing them of sexual assault and said that she was 13 years old at the time… so when Shannon Sharpe brought up Buzbee and talked about being extorted, he brought up Mr. Buzbee and Mr. Buzbee’s past and how he goes after African American men.”
Stephen A. Smith speaks onstage at the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation’s 27th Annual ‘Taste for a Cure’ held on May 10, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty Images)
“On one hand, going on the offensive to defend himself, I completely understand where Shannon Sharpe is coming from,” he said.
He then explained where he was conflicted, adding, “On the other hand, when his legal team issued out the press release on X yesterday and they revealed her name and those explicit text messages, that was uncomfortable. And I don’t know if that’s a strategy that would work.”
Smith explained how it’s difficult for many people to stay silent during situations where their reputations are on the line. “One of the hardest things for us to do is lay low and be quiet and let our legal teams do it. And we don’t know if that’s the right thing to do,” he reasoned.
“I can tell you all that I spoke to Shannon, not in details, and he emphatically proclaims his innocence.”
On April 20, 2025, a 13-page civil complaint was filed in a Nevada state court accusing the retired tight end of committing assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery, and that he engaged in the intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit discloses the plaintiff and Sharpe entered a two-year consensual relationship, but his behavior turned abusive as he allegedly has threatened to kill the plaintiff when she attempted to share her location with friends, raped her, and sexually assaulted her multiple times.
Since then, the Club Shay Shay host and his legal team have vehemently denied the allegations and claimed the Jane Doe set up the entire situation with a plan to extort him for $50 million. They revealed her alleged legal name and released text messages where she made sexually graphic requests.
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