Following the announcement of his departure from ESPN, Shannon Sharpe has broken his silence. On the Wednesday evening edition of the Nightcap podcast, Sharpe spoke about the news, particularly focusing on the timing of the announcement of him not returning to ESPN and it potentially clashing with the enshrinement of his brother Sterling Sharpe in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Shannon sharpe breaks his silence on not returning to ESPN following a settlement resolution in his $50M rape lawsuit pic.twitter.com/SOlSC51IaL
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“Obviously I’m sure everybody’s heard the news by now that I will not be returning to ESPN. I found out this information a little earlier in the week, and really, the only thing that I really ask is like, guys, could we wait until Monday? My brother’s going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I really wanted to be about him, and I wanted to be about my family. I know this would, I said this coming out will overshadow everything that he’s worked his entire life for. And unfortunately, you know, it didn’t happen that way.”
Shannon didn’t delve much into ESPN’s decision but spoke highly of his nearly two years working with the network.
“I really enjoyed my time at ESPN. It gave me an opportunity to bring my audience that saw me really just grow. They saw me, you know, ‘Lakers in five’ and they saw me say all these funny…these analogies that my grandparents gave me, and I was able to bring that to ESPN. So I’m very, very grateful for that.”
On Wednesday afternoon, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that ESPN opted to part ways with Sharpe. The decision followed his settlement in a civil lawsuit involving rape allegations. Sharpe has been off the network since late April, when the accusations initially emerged. The case concluded with a resolution announced by attorney Tony Buzbee, representing the woman referred to as “Jane Doe” in the complaint.
A dismissal with prejudice bars the accuser from bringing the claim back to the same court. Sharpe did not face any criminal charges in the matter.
