Former Baltimore Raven Denies Rape Accusation, Says He Was Framed

OWINGS MILLS, MD — A former Baltimore Ravens player on Monday denied allegations that he raped a woman, instead calling it a consensual sexual relationship wherein a secret video recording was edited to frame him.

A lawyer for Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, who played for the Ravens in 2000 and 2001, said a $50 million lawsuit filed by a woman is a "blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars."

"It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed," Attorney Lanny J. Davis said in a Monday statement posted on Sharpe's Facebook page.

The lawsuit reviewed by USA Today said the woman, only identified as "Jane Doe" seeks millions in damages and alleges "sexual assault and battery, and engaging in the intentional infliction of emotional distress."

Sharpe won three Super Bowls, including one with the Ravens, during his 14 NFL seasons. Since his playing career ended, he has worked as an analyst on ESPN and hosts the podcast, "Club Shay Shay."

The plaintiff said she met Sharpe at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 when she was 19, USA Today reported. She alleged that Sharpe, currently 56, sexually assaulted her twice in the last year.

The 13-page lawsuit filed in a Nevada state court said the relationship started as a "rocky consensual relationship" that lasted nearly two years, NBC's Pro Football Talk reported.

The suit said the relationship grew problematic when the plaintiff "began to pull away from Sharpe" after he accidentally live-streamed audio of a sexual encounter with another woman, Pro Football Talk said.

USA Today said the plaintiff alleged that Sharpe recorded their sexual encounters without her consent and once threatened to kill her.

"Sharpe flew into fits of anger when Plaintiff noted his infidelity to their relationship, or called him out about his extraneous activities," the lawsuit said, according to USA Today. "What had once been manipulation, control and intimidation now became something far more dangerous and sinister. Sharpe even figured out how to get into Doe’s apartment complex without her permission."

Pro Football Talk said the complaint alleged that Sharpe forced sex against the woman's consent in October 2024 and engaged in unprotected sex with the plaintiff, despite her efforts in January to get him either to stop or to wear a condom.

"A woman can say ‘yes’ to consensual sexual relations with a man ninety-nine times, but when she says ‘no’ even once, that ‘no’ means no. Defendant Shannon Sharpe, a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, completely fails to understand this basic concept," the suit said, according to Pro Football Talk. "After many months of manipulating and controlling Plaintiff—a woman more than thirty years younger than he—and repeatedly threatening to brutally choke and violently slap her, Sharpe refused to accept the answer no and raped Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no.’"

Sharpe's lawyers said the plaintiff "presented Mr. Sharpe with a secretly recorded video of a consensual sexual encounter."

"We believe the video has been heavily edited and taken entirely out of context, crafted to falsely portray a consensual act as non-consensual," Davis said.

Sharpe's defense said the woman never provided his legal team with a full, unedited version of the tape.

"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."

Sharpe's legal team released several of what they said were sexually explicit texts from the plaintiff to the defendant.

"The evidence paints a clear picture: this was a consensual, adult relationship that included role-playing, sexual language, and fantasy scenarios explicitly requested by [the plaintiff]," Davis said.