Shannon Sharpe's Lack of Impulse Control May Cost Him Over $100 Million | Bobby Burack

As the saying goes, Shannon Sharpe fumbled the bag.

Just three months ago, Sharpe was reportedly nearing a $100 million licensing deal for his podcasts "Club Shay Shay" and "Nightcap." He also had a $6 million-a-year contract with ESPN to co-host First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith twice a week. Smith had even named Sharpe as his preferred successor if he ever stepped away from daily sports talk.

By the end of April, Sharpe's ex-girlfriend filed a $50 million lawsuit against him in which she accused him of rape and sexual assault. Although the case was settled last week, ESPN informed Sharpe on Monday that he would not be returning to the network. He’s also without a long-term podcast deal, as his current agreement with The Volume expires at the end of August.

Put simply, the allegations against Sharpe will cost him at least eight figures annually over the next few years — and potentially nine figures over the next five.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 17: Shannon Sharpe speaks onstage during a live taping of "Black Money Tree" podcast winning a NAACP Image Award during the Texas Black Expo Corporate Awards Luncheon featuring Shannon Sharpe at JW Marriott Houston by The Galleria on May 17, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

We don’t support unproven allegations destroying someone’s career, reputation, or future. Since the start of the #MeToo movement, too many men have been brought down by unsubstantiated claims. That said, there’s a pattern with Sharpe. Regardless of whether he's guilty of criminal behavior, his character and judgment have made him, frankly, unemployable.

According to The New York Times, Sharpe is facing a separate lawsuit in New York, filed in 2023, in which another ex-girlfriend accuses him of sexually assaulting her during an argument in 2010. Front Office Sports also reports that Sharpe settled a different lawsuit with a female production assistant at FS1, who accused him of choking her.

Then there's the questionable way he responded to the lawsuit in April. He first tried dismissing the allegations as a product of racism. He accused Jane Doe's lawyer, Tony Buzbee, of disproportionately targeting and "shaking down black men." 

Next, Sharpe leaked graphic text messages between him and the accuser, revealed her identity, belittled her as an OnlyFans model, and challenged her to release a sex tape that he claimed would prove their encounters were consensual.

Not ideal for a Disney employee.

Moreover, TMZ obtained an audio recording in which Sharpe allegedly threatens to choke "the shit out of" the accuser during an argument.

You can listen to that audio below:

Keep in mind, Sharpe is 57 years old. The woman he's heard threatening is 21.

"If he would have settled, it would have just been money that he would have lost," former ESPN host Marcellus Wiley said about Sharpe's handling of the lawsuit. "Now it costs him money, reputation, and opportunity—which turns into more money."

"This dude draws ratings, this dude is box office," Wiley added. "But now not only did he get accused, everything is out there. This is messy, this is dirty, this is nasty. Then old stuff started popping up, and it just started snowballing."

Shannon Sharpe’s downfall isn’t the result of the profoundly-flawed, overly simplistic "believe all women" mentality, but rather the consequence of his own decisions. At the very least, he has shown signs of emotional instability and poor impulse control.

Even before the lawsuit, Sharpe made headlines for threatening to fight an NBA player while sitting courtside and for live-streaming a woman moaning and calling him "Poppa" on Instagram — an incident he later claimed was uploaded by accident.

ESPN had no choice but to release him. The network couldn’t keep him on-air after he published text messages revealing his erratic behavior and sexual preferences. Unsurprisingly, interest from gambling companies looking to invest in his podcast has waned. He’s become a liability.

This isn’t cancel culture. Shannon Sharpe canceled himself, likely costing him over $100 million in the process.