Shannon Sharpe and Accuser Reach Settlement in $50 Million Rape and Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Shannon Sharpe has settled a $50 million rape and sexual assault lawsuit that was filed against him earlier this year. 

Tony Buzbee, the attorney of the woman who filed the lawsuit, confirms to PEOPLE that he and Sharpe’s lawyers have “reached a mutually agreed upon resolution.”

“Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship,” he said. “After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution.” 

“All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice,” Buzbee added. 

Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny Davis, declined to comment on the case when reached for comment by PEOPLE.

In April, Sharpe, 57, was accused of rape and sexual assault in a lawsuit filed by a woman identified in court documents obtained by PEOPLE as “Jane Doe.”

The woman requested $50 million in damages and alleged that the former ESPN host raped her on multiple occasions over the course of a nearly two-year “rocky consensual relationship.”

She also claimed that Sharpe recorded their sexual encounters without her consent and shared the recordings with others. 

Sharpe’s attorney denied the allegations at the time in a statement to PEOPLE. He described the lawsuit as a shakedown attempt and claimed that the relationship between the woman and Sharpe was consensual.

“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,” Davis said. “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.”

After the lawsuit, Sharpe announced that he was “electing to step aside temporarily” from his “ESPN duties” amid the allegations.

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“I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason,” the former football player said.

ESPN said in a statement to Variety at the time that the network agreed with Sharpe’s decision to step aside, stating, “This is a serious situation.”

Sharpe spent his NFL career with the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens, winning three Super Bowls. Following his retirement, he became a sports media personality.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.