From his infamous Instagram Live debacle last year to the fact that he is unmarried at 56, much has been made about Shannon Sharpe’s love life. Those conversations took a turn for the worse after the NFL Hall-of-Famer was slapped with a $50 million lawsuit for assault, s**ual assault and battery.
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The former player-turned-analyst and podcast host has since announced he will temporarily step away from his role at ESPN. Sharpe has denied the allegations made by an OnlyFans model named Gabriella Zuniga, labeling them “false and disruptive”.
For better or worse, everyone in the football world is talking about it, including former Pro Bowler Marcellus Wiley. He admitted that the details of the case made his “spidey senses go off.”
“Something just ain’t right. With the timing of the settlement offer, the allegations, and even the temporary leave of absence… Either Shannon got played… Or, we, us, you and me, are getting played as well,” said Wiley.
The former DE believes the details of the narrative are not fully adding up. Citing the recent reports that suggested Sharpe was closing in on a $100 million deal for the rights to his media empire, Wiley suggested that the allegations could be more about money than anything else.
In a day and age where lawsuits are as frivolous as anything else, Wiley felt obligated to ponder the legitimacy of the claims.
“Did she know that that deal was happening? Or she didn’t know? Because on Friday it was reported, and on Sunday she filed… What happened between Friday and Sunday?” wondered Wiley.
The rule of the law is that a person is innocent until proven guilty. But in the filings, the accusations are pretty serious.
Sharpe allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend
After his scandalous broadcast of an intimate act on Instagram Live with another woman, Sharpe became increasingly violent toward his partner, according to the filings that were submitted in the lawsuit. Amongst the various allegations contained within the filing, it is claimed that the former Denver Bronco displayed several instances of aggression, going as far as to communicate threats of physical harm.
“Yelling at her, controlling her, forcibly grabbing her by the neck when he got upset, saying he was going to ‘kill her’, and asserting dominance became the norm,” the report stated.
Sharpe’s attorney also confirmed that the Hall of Famer made an offer of at least $10 million to settle the case out of court.
Both Sharpe and his accuser will likely remain in the spotlight until the accusations are resolved. At this point in time, it is unclear as to when, or even if, the beloved sports personality will make a return to his role at ESPN.
