Shannon Sharpe‘s reputation, a member of the NFL Hall of Fame and one of the most high-profile figures on sports television in the United States, has once again suffered a devastating blow. Just as the former Denver Broncos player was launching a public campaign to clear his name and return to ESPN, a new lawsuit filed in New York threatens to permanently bury his professional aspirations.

Michele Evans, who worked as a producer and reporter for ESPN covering the Broncos in the early 2000s, has filed two lawsuits against Sharpe. The first is for defamation, and the second is brought under the New York City Gender-Motivated Violence Act. This new legal front emerges only months after Sharpe reached an out-of-court settlement in a similar case filed by an OnlyFans model, which had appeared to clear his path back to television.

The harsh allegations by Michele Evans

Unlike other anonymous complaints, Evans emphasizes her status as a former colleague in the industry to lend credibility to her testimony. According to the court filing, the romantic relationship they maintained turned violent in September 2010 following a confrontation over the athlete’s alleged infidelity.

Evans’ account is chilling: she accuses Sharpe of forcibly restraining her and committing non-consensual oral and vaginal penetration. Most alarming is the phrase that, according to the complainant, Sharpe repeatedly said during the assault: “I’m going to make sure no other man will want you.” With this testimony, Evans seeks to establish that her case is not an isolated incident, but rather a pattern of abuse of power and violence that ESPN should not ignore.

Sharpe’s defense and ESPN’s cold shoulder

For his part, Shannon Sharpe’s legal team has responded aggressively, describing the lawsuit as an “opportunistic fabrication” aimed at financial gain. According to his attorneys, Evans became obsessed with the analyst and took advantage of the media attention surrounding his recent scandals to file a complaint that they claim lacks legal merit.

However, the collateral damage is already visible. During last weekend’s Super Bowl, Sharpe openly expressed his desire to return to the leading sports network: “I am more than willing and more than capable.” But following this new scandal, ESPN has declined to comment, maintaining a frosty distance that suggests the return of the historic tight end is, now more than ever, a remote possibility.