Former football player Shannon Sharpe is being sued by his ex-girlfriend who claimed in a legal filing that Sharpe sexually assaulted and raped her.
The woman was not named in the case; the complaint was filed anonymously in Clark County, Nevada. The woman is asking for $50 million in damages, The Associated Press reported.
She claimed he raped her in her apartment in October and January, adding that he forced himself on her as she cried and begged him to stop. She was trying to break up with him, the lawsuit alleged according to NBC Sports.
She claims he also inflicted emotional distress.
She said in the suit he was verbally abusive, controlling and violent - one time threatening to kill her - and recorded their sexual encounters without consent, the AP reported.
The lawsuit was filed on Sunday by Tony Buzbee, the same lawyer who has filed dozens of lawsuits against Sean Combs, accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Sharpe posted a video on social media on Tuesday, saying, “This is a shakedown. I’m going to be open, transparent and defend myself because this isn’t right. This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee,” The New York Times reported.
Sharpe’s attorney, Lenny Davis, denied the accusations, also calling the suit a shakedown.
Davis shared texts he said were between Sharpe and the woman that showed a "consensual, adult relationship that included role-playing, sexual language, and fantasy scenarios explicitly requested” by the woman. He also named her.
Buzbee said, “I look forward to presenting the evidence in this case through the judicial process, where the truth matters more than a sports icon’s desperate public spin.”
Sharpe is now a podcaster, what the show “Club Shay Shay” but is best known as a three-time Super Bowl champion - twice with Denver and once with Baltimore - and a Pro Football Hall of Fame member.
The case was filed as a civil lawsuit, not criminal, NBC News reported.
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