Shannon Sharpe was hit with an eight figure lawsuit over the weekend accusing him of sexual assault and battery, and he has now responded with an official statement in his defense. The Hall Of Famer‘s attorneys claim the case is a “blatant and cynical attempt to shake down” Sharpe and have provided alleged text messages sent between the two exes as evidence. They also took it one step further by releasing the plaintiff’s full name, as she filed her case under a Jane Doe pseudonym.
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.
Sharpe’s counsel, Lanny J. Davis & Associates, revealed in their April 21 statement that the woman’s name is Gabriella Zuniga. The document argues that Zuniga is lying and attempting to extort Sharpe for millions. The graphic texts were shared to show the alleged “broader pattern of graphic sexual communications initiated by Ms. Zuniga” and that the scenarios were “explicitly requested” by her.
“I want you to put a dog collar around my neck and choke me with it while you’re f**king me,” reads one alleged text sent by Zuniga to Sharpe, Oct. 7, 2023. Another mentions a price tag in exchange for pleasure, reading, “I know u miss this big juicy a**…$25k for each cheek” sent on New Years Day 2025.
The following texts included in the statement are as follows:
“Only if you put that baby gravy in me, then I can do whatever I want to me.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, November 23, 2023
“I wanna put my tongue in your a**hole and then marry u.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, January 12, 2024
“That’s my daddy f**k I want u to put a big black baby in me.”
Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, August 6, 2024
“You better crave it cuz ur gonna be stuck with it 4 life after you put a big black baby in me.”
— Text from Gabriella Zuniga to Shannon Sharpe, August 11, 2024
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 08: Shannon Sharpe attends ESPN First Take at Clark Atlanta University on November 08, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
In the filed complaint, Zuniga says the two entered a consensual relationship after they met at a gym in 2023, and she is “a woman more than thirty years younger than he is.” She says she tried “pulling away” from Sharpe after his infamous Instagram Live incident in September 2024 when he accidentally streamed him having sex with another woman.
She alleges he responded by becoming increasingly sexually abusive, as the statement says he “forced himself on her while she was crying and sobbing” during an interaction in October 2024. In January 2025, Doe claims Sharpe came over to her house and violently sexually assaulted her again after using the excuse of bringing a birthday gift to her.
The Club Shay Shay host’s statement concluded by asserting he firmly denies the sexual assault allegations and will prove his innocence. “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. He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on the facts and the law,” it reads.
Zuniga is seeking a minimum of $50 million from Sharpe.
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