Respond from Shannon Sharpe’s Legal Team regarding a $50 Million Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Shannon Sharpe has responded to the sexual assault lawsuit filed against him on Monday.

A woman claiming to be the former tight end’s girlfriend sued him for $50 million for alleged assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery.

The woman, referred to in the suit as Jane Doe, also claimed that Sharpe intentionally filmed them having sex without her knowledge, adding that he caused her emotional distress.

Soon after news of the lawsuit against him made headlines, Sharpe shared a statement from his legal counsel, Lanny J. Davis, on social media.

In the statement, Davis revealed the woman’s identity as Gabriella Zuniga and shared text messages she sent to Sharpe.

One text message Zuniga allegedly sent on October 7, 2023, read, “I want you to put a dog collar around my neck and choke me with it while you’re f-cking me.”

Another text she allegedly sent on January 1, 2025, read, “I know u miss this juicy a–…$25k for each cheek.”

Davis fired back at Zuniga and her attorney, Tony Buzbee. He said, “This lawsuit, filed by Gabriella Zuniga and orchestrated by her attorney Tony Buzbee, is a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars.”

He continued, “It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.”

Davis also said, “In her effort to extract a large financial settlement, Ms. Zuniga presented Mr. Sharpe with a secretly recorded video of a consensual sexual encounter.”

Sharpe’s legal counsel claimed Zuniga’s video was “heavily edited and taken entirely out of context,” adding that it was “crafted to portray a consensual act as non-consensual.”

According to Davis, Sharpe’s accuser “has refused to provide a copy of the full, unedited version of the recording” to the ex-footballer’s legal team.

He continued, “To set the record straight, we are releasing several of Ms. Zuniga’s own explicit text messages to Mr. Sharpe that clearly indicate the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature — and, in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.”

Sharpe’s team claimed he and Zuniga continued having consensual sex until January 2, 2025, “the day after she asked for ‘$25,000 per cheek'” in the text message she sent to him.

Davis shared several alleged text messages from Zuniga to Sharpe. In the messages, she allegedly made sexual advances at him and expressed her desire for him to get her pregnant.

Sharpe’s legal counsel continued, “These messages are just a sampling of a broader pattern of graphic, sexual communications initiated by Ms. Zuniga. The evidence paints a clear picture: this was a consensual, adult relationship that included role-playing, sexual language, and fantasy scenarios explicitly requested by Ms. Zuniga.”

Davis stressed that Zuniga’s allegedly recorded and edited tape tried to show that her sexual encounters with his client were not consensual. He added, “But Mr. Sharpe now believes her secret taping was all part of her planned set-up as part of her blackmail scheme, as distorted by her edited tape, a copy of which she refused to make available to Mr. Sharpe or his counsel.”

Sharpe’s attorney concluded by denying any wrongdoing by his client. He said, “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 of blackmail.”

The statement ended, “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.”

Earlier on Monday, Shannon Sharpe came under fire following serious allegations from an anonymous woman, identified as Jane Doe, who filed a lawsuit in Nevada.

Represented by high-profile attorney Tony Buzbee, the accuser claimed she met Sharpe at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 when she was 20 and he was in his mid-50s.

According to the lawsuit, Sharpe offered to buy her breast implants if she won a weight-loss challenge. What began as flirtation allegedly turned into a controlling and verbally abusive relationship.

The accuser, through Buzbee, claimed Sharpe demanded total control over her schedule, stating per TMZ, “He demanded complete control over her time and body, expecting her to be at his house on his schedule, at his command, whenever he called.”