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Shannon Sharpe Takes Break From ESPN’s ‘First Take’ After Rape Accusation and $50 Million Lawsuit

Related Topics: Shannon Sharpe, ESPN

Shannon Sharpe has offered his last words on ESPN‘s “First Take” for the foreseeable future in the wake of accusastions and a $50 million lawsuit from a Nevada woman who alleges the former NFL player raped and threatened her in the c ourse of a two-year relationship.

In a statement posted on X, Sharpe said he was “electing to step aside temporarily” from his duties at Walt Disney’s ESPN, where he is featured prominently on “First Take,” the hot-talk sports roundtable led by Stephen A. Smith. He said he “plans to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.