ESPN has reportedly cut ties with Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe days after he settled a $50 million lawsuit accusing him of rape, the Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported on Wednesday (July 30).

Sharpe, 57, had previously announced his decision to "step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties" in April, despite maintaining his innocence. The Pro Football Hall of Famer joined ESPN's First Take in the fall of 2023.

"My statement is found here and this is the truth," Sharpe said in a statement on his X account in April. "The relationship in question was 100% consensual.

"At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties.

"I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.

"I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, fans, friends and colleagues."

Sharpe shared alleged text messages sent by the plaintiff hours after the allegations were made. The plaintiff's attorney later shared alleged voice messages in which Sharpe threatened to "f**king choke the s**t out" of her "in public."

The plaintiff, who was identified in the lawsuit by the "Jane Doe" pseudonym, claimed she and Sharpe were in a "rocky consensual relationship" for nearly two years, which allegedly included Sharpe recording their sexual activities without her knowledge and sharing the footage without her permission or knowledge. The lawsuit specifies that an incident in which Sharpe "accidentally" livestreamed a sexual encounter on Instagram last year was with another woman, not the plaintiff.

Bill Handel