Shannon Sharpe, Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN personality, has been accused of rape and sexual assault in a civil lawsuit filed in Nevada by a woman identified as Jane Doe. The plaintiff alleges Sharpe began a “rocky consensual relationship” with her in 2023 when she was 19, during which he repeatedly assaulted and manipulated her, using his status to control and degrade her over nearly two years.

According to the complaint, Sharpe raped the woman multiple times, threatened violence, and recorded sexual acts without her consent—sometimes sharing them with others. The suit also claims he berated her, tracked her whereabouts, and entered her apartment complex without permission.

Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny Davis, responded that the relationship was consensual, claiming the suit is a “blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars.” Davis released alleged explicit texts from the woman and accused her of trying to extort Sharpe with a selectively edited sex video.

The lawsuit seeks over $50 million in damages. Sharpe, who won three Super Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, has faced prior controversy, including an Instagram incident involving a live broadcast of an intimate moment, which the plaintiff says left her humiliated. ESPN, where Sharpe currently appears on First Take, has declined to comment.