Shannon Sharpe will not return to ESPN as a commentator on 'First Take'

Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times on Jul 30, 2025

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LOS ANGELES — Shannon Sharpe will not be returning to ESPN, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who is not authorized to publicly discuss it.

The development comes weeks after the former NFL star settled a $50 million lawsuit that accused him of rape. Attorney Tony Buzbee, whose firm represented the woman who filed the civil lawsuit against Sharpe earlier this year, announced the settlement on July 18 in a statement posted on Instagram.

Sharpe's legal team said at the time that Buzbee's statement should be considered the "final word" on the matter. Terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

The lawsuit was filed on April 20 in Clark County in Nevada. Sharpe's accuser sought damages for claims of assault, sexual assault, battery, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress after multiple alleged non-consensual sexual encounters in her Las Vegas apartment between October and January.

The sports media personality has denied the allegations. He announced days after the lawsuit was filed that he was temporarily stepping away from his duties as a commentator on ESPN's "First Take" but would return in time for the 2025 NFL season.

At that time, an ESPN spokesperson said in a statement emailed to The Los Angeles Times that "this is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon's decision to step away."

Sharpe has remained on his popular podcasts "Club Shay Shay" and "Nightcap."

The Athletic was the first to report that Sharpe won't be returning to ESPN. The network declined to comment for this article.