Leaked audio captures Shannon Sharpe threatening to “choke the s**t out” of his accuser

Shannon Sharpe faces a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages for sexually assaulting a woman he allegedly had an intimate relationship with.

Leaked audio captures Shannon Sharpe threatening to “choke the s**t out” of his accuser

Shannon Sharpe (Image via Deadline)

Shannon Sharpe has established himself as one of the most successful NFL players and has dominated everything he does. His Midas touch has resulted in him building a successful media career after football. Sharpe has continued to grow since his exit from FOX Sports. The Hall of Famer keeps busy by featuring on ESPN’s flagship show, First Take, alongside Stephen A. Smith, but it is his Nightcap Show that has taken the new media world by storm.

The former NFL tight end found himself in an awkward situation a few months ago after he accidentally went live on Instagram while sharing an intimate moment with his partner. While that incident was embarrassing for him, he addressed it with utmost honesty and resolved it. However, the host of Club Shay Shay now faces a bigger dilemma.

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Shannon Sharpe was recently accused of sexual assault by Jane Doe. The woman’s name was kept anonymous in the lawsuit filed by Tony Buzbee, the lawyer who represented the two dozen women who filed a case against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Buzbee’s client has been identified as Gabriella Zuniga, who accused the media personality of sexually assaulting her when she was 22.

Over the past three days, much of their correspondence has been released to the public. Shannon Sharpe, at the advice of his Counsel, Lanny J. Davis, posted excerpts of his texts with Gabriella Zuniga on his Instagram account. In the messages posted by Sharpe, the woman can be seen making a few unorthodox demands for intercourse from the former tight end.

“I want you to put a dog collar around my neck and choke me with it while you’re f***ing me. I know you miss this big juicy a**…$25K for each cheek,” Zuniga is alleged to have sent these messages to Sharpe. While these messages shared by Shannon expose his side of the story, TMZ has uncovered a conversation between the two where Sharpe threatens to choke the accuser.

The conversation begins with the accuser pleading with Shannon Sharpe not to manipulate her. Subsequently, the Hall of Famer goes on to take things up a notch.

“I don’t know, anything I say you’re going to like get mad at and you’re just going to hang up on me so I feel like…” the woman is heard telling Sharpe. His response to her words does not help his case. “I’m not going to hang up on you, it is what it is…nothing Gabby, you want to be a d*** to me now so…” After this sentence, the accuser tells Sharpe that she is not the bad person and that he is the one attempting to ‘manipulate’ her.

This is where Shannon Sharpe loses his cool. “Lord have mercy. If you say that word one more time, I’m going to choke the s*** out of you when I see you. Thank you.” His assertion of dominance does not sit well with the accuser, who goes on to say, ” I don’t want to be choked”, but Shannon Sharpe refuses to believe that and attempts to convince her that she wants to be put in that position.

“You know what…yes, you do, I don’t think you have a choice in the matter.” The snippet of this conversation lasts for a little under one minute and 30 seconds. It incriminates Sharpe and puts him in a difficult position.

Shannon Sharpe’s lawsuit comes at a time when he is attempting to negotiate a large contract with Volume

The accusations levelled against him are serious. Buzbee, in his lawsuit, alleges that Sharpe has become used to getting his way and he does not like to hear the word ‘no.’

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. 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 r***d Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no.’

The lawsuit reads

The statement goes on to allege that Shannon Sharpe threatened to take the woman’s life after she was late on one occasion and that he filmed their intimate encounters and shared them with others.

Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe (Image via Outkick)

Shannon Sharpe has vehemently denied all the allegations against him. His posts on his social media accounts were a statement of their own. He is being sued to the tune of $50 million in damages. His attorney has continued to emphasize that the duo was in a consensual relationship that lasted for an estimated two years. Furthermore, the Hall of Famer is not reluctant to fight this battle to the bitter end.

The two continue to go back and forth by releasing their private correspondence. In some of the messages, the woman can be seen begging Shannon Sharpe to impregnate her. The allegations have come at an unfortunate time for Shannon Sharpe, who is busy attempting to ink a huge deal with Volume to stream his podcast with Chad Johnson.

The deal is likely to be valued around $100 million, but nothing is certain just yet. The former tight end is refraining from making comments about this situation in public and continues to hope that the case gets resolved via legal recourse.