‘Silenced’ ex-ESPNers fume over network’s handling of bombshell Shannon Sharpe allegations

Former ESPN personalities had beardown reactions to nan bombshell $50 cardinal suit revenge Sunday against Shannon Sharpe, who has been accused of rape by a “Jane Doe.”

Sage Steele, a erstwhile “SportsCenter” anchor who near nan web 2 years agone aft a ineligible conflict complete nan company’s COVID-19 vaccine policy, said Tuesday there’s “a agelong database of examples wherever ESPN and Disney considered blimpish viewpoints much violative than questionable character.”

Steele’s connection came successful consequence to a post from an X personification that read: “ESPN did not re-up contracts to women pinch blimpish views aliases silenced them while Shannon has had aggregate questionable actions involving women. Just putting that retired there.”

Ashley Brewer-Kaminsky, who was laid disconnected from her job arsenic a “SportsCenter” anchor successful June 2023, besides chimed in.

“Never hide erstwhile I sewage chewed retired by my leader for posting a pic of a statement congressman & UFC combatant connected my instagram communicative astatine nan McGregor fight. LOL,” she responded to Steele’s X post.

The erstwhile colleagues went connected to stock much experiences of erstwhile they “broke nan rules” astatine ESPN during nan COVID-19 pandemic.

“And @ashbrewkaminsky retrieve erstwhile we sewage chewed retired for breaking Covid rules by opinionated excessively adjacent to each different and posting this pic?” Steele wrote, including an image of nan brace posing together connected nan “SportsCenter” set.

Kaminsky replied, “But sitting adjacent to each different astatine nan table unrecorded connected TV was wholly fine!!!”

Steele near ESPN successful August 2023 erstwhile some sides settled a suit she filed that stemmed from her being taken disconnected nan aerial successful October 2021 for comments made astir nan company’s COVID-19 vaccine policy.

“I person decided to time off truthful I tin workout my first amendment authorities much freely,” said Steele, who had worked astatine ESPN since 2007.

In February, Steele was named nan recipient of nan “new media” spot in a property convention astatine nan White House.

Kaminsky and erstwhile NBA subordinate Frank Kaminsky, presently playing overseas, are expecting their first child.

In nan aftermath of nan news astir nan lawsuit, Sharpe has remained connected ESPN’s “First Take” connected Mondays and Tuesdays, arsenic good arsenic his “NightCap” and “Club Shay Shay” podcasts.

ESPN has yet to reside nan matter publicly.

Stephen A. Smith said he received support to deliver a connection from ESPN and Disney co-chair Jimmy Pitaro, who made it clear nan institution is successful nan process of gathering facts and is taking nan matter very seriously.

“I recruited Shannon… but I’m not nan boss,” Smith said Tuesday on his self-titled YouTube show, referring to erstwhile Sharpe near Fox for ESPN successful June 2023. “Those are different folks. There are layers to this and location are definite layers that moreover I americium not on. I tin show you I besides said to co-chairman of Disney, nan boss, Jimmy Pitaro, who made it very, very clear that [ESPN is] taking this matter very earnestly and we are looking into this very, very intimately and erstwhile we stitchery arsenic galore facts arsenic we perchance can, we will spell from there.

“And that is each he said. And I tin mention his sanction because I received his support to opportunity that. I don’t cognize what that means.”

Smith added he said pinch Sharpe astir nan matter.

“[Sharpe] was emphatic successful stating his innocence that this is simply a shakedown,” Smith said, referring to Sharpe’s comments astir nan matter successful an Instagram video early Tuesday.

Sharpe, who denied nan allegations done his lawyer successful a connection connected Monday, doubled down connected his denial and called it a “shakedown.”

In her complaint, “Jane Doe” alleges Sharpe committed assault, intersexual assault, battery, intersexual artillery and engaged successful nan intentional infliction of affectional distress during a “rocky consensual relationship” that lasted astir 2 years.

The plaintiff, who is much than 30 years younger than him, alleges Sharpe brutally sexually assaulted her respective times astatine nan extremity of 2024 and nan opening of 2025.

In a virtual property convention connected Tuesday, Sharpe’s counsel, Lanny J. Davis, said his customer was successful nan midst of mediation pinch nan female who accused him of rape, when she revenge a civilian suit against him “without warning,” demanding $50 million.

Davis said Sharpe was consenting to salary nan plaintiff “at slightest $10 million” successful a settlement, and that nan plaintiff “took advantage” of nan erstwhile NFL star’s “very lucrative” statement for his “Club Shay Shay” podcast that was precocious reported.

Sharpe was sued a time before Front Office Sports reported that he is expected to motion a woody for his “Club Shay Shay” podcast that would transcend $100 cardinal aft his statement pinch Colin Cowherd’s The Volume podcast web precocious expired.