Awful Announcing
A day after Shannon Sharpe was served with a 13-page lawsuit by an anonymous plaintiff alleging sexual assault and battery, Sharpe’s legal team responded with a statement of its own.
The statement, posted to Sharpe’s account on X and emailed to Awful Announcing via a PR team, names the anonymous alleged plaintiff and includes text containing salacious messages that the woman, whom Sharpe’s team alleges is Gabriella Zuniga, purportedly sent to Sharpe between October 2023 and January 2025.
“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,” the statement reads. “It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.”
pic.twitter.com/iobCWAwdmB
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) April 21, 2025

The lawsuit, with which Sharpe was served on April 20 and the details of which leaked through the media on April 21, accused Sharpe of two instances of sexual assault. It also states that Sharpe secretly recorded the plaintiff while she was intimate with him, and that he persistently pursued her after she attempted to break off their relationship.
Sharpe’s legal team, which Lanny J. Davis leads through his Washington, D.C.-based firm, accuses Zuniga of being the one who secretly recorded a sexual encounter. The statement also accuses Zuniga of altering that video (which Zuniga has purportedly not made available to Sharpe and his lawyers in full) to “blackmail” Sharpe.
The lawsuit states that the plaintiff is seeking $50 million in damages.
“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 at blackmail,” the statement reads. “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.”
Last week, Front Office Sports reported that Sharpe was expecting a $100 million windfall as he pursued a new contract for his popular Club Shay Shay and Nightcap podcasts.
Sharpe appeared Monday morning in his regularly scheduled appearance on ESPN’s First Take. ESPN has not commented publicly on the allegations.
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.
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Puppies hailing from schools ranging from “Bowl Miss” to “Ruff-gers” took part in NFL Network draft coverage this year.
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ABC and TNT will carry doubleheaders as four games are spread throughout this day. This smorgasbord of basketball begins at 1 p.m. ET and concludes around midnight.
“There is no collusion. The 1st pick was a black Qb.”
“NFL GMs, scouts, and the NFL at large are trying to teach Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders a lesson”

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