Lawyer who sued Shannon Sharpe slams ESPN star’s claim that he targets black men after settling $50m lawsuit

Tony Buzbee, the high-profile lawyer who represented Shannon Sharpe’s rape accuser, has hit back at the NFL legend’s claims that he targets black men.

Sharpe, the tight end-turned TV star, recently settled a $50million lawsuit after a woman – identified as an ex-girlfriend – retracted her accusation of rape. 

The case, filed in Nevada in April, initially alleged that the Hall of Famer raped ‘Jane Doe’ in October 2024 and then again in January.

Sharpe was fired by ESPN on Wednesday despite denying the accusations, calling the lawsuit a ‘shakedown’, and accusing Buzbee of ‘targeting black men’.

‘I’m gonna be open, transparent and defend myself because this isn’t right,’ Sharpe said. ‘This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee, who has targeted Jay-Z… Tony Buzbee targets black men.’

Buzbee has become one of America’s most famous lawyers, having been at the center of big-money cases involving the likes of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Over recent years, Buzbee has also sued BP over an oil spill – earning his firm more than $500m – and won a $640m verdict in a wrongful-death case against one of the country’s biggest crane companies. Buzbee was himself sued by Jay-Z for extortion and defamation but the case was dismissed earlier this month.

In response to Sharpe’s allegations, he told Esquire: ‘I guess a bunch of old white men could say I’m targeting them, and a bunch of multinational corporations could say I’m targeting them as well.’

‘I guess you could say I was targeting BP… well, I probably was targeting BP.’

He continued: ‘I didn’t wake up one morning and say, “I want to sue Shannon Sharpe.” He has no relevance in my life. 

‘I actually think he’s very entertaining when he yells and screams and talks about sports that he’s not involved in… but if I think it’s a legitimate case, then I pursue it. And I think this is worth my time.’

A day after Sharpe made his allegations against Buzbee, the lawyer released an audio recording which appeared to be Sharpe threatening to choke the woman. 

‘I’m gonna f***ing choke the s*** out of you when I see you,’ the 56-year-old Sharpe is heard telling the woman.

Sharpe’s attorney at the time claimed his client was speaking ‘in the heat of the moment’ and the violent threat was ‘not intended.’ 

That escalated the case but earlier this month, Buzbee revealed that a settlement had been reached. He told Esquire that mediation had lasted about six weeks and that Sharpe’s accuser was offered $10m to drop her case. 

‘A little history,’ Buzbee wrote in his April statement. ‘Back in early February, our office contacted Mr. Sharpe on behalf of Jane Doe and broached the subject of a meeting.

‘Multiple conversations took place,’ the statement continued. ‘Ultimately a mediation occurred. Mr. Sharpe was represented by different lawyers in that mediation. 

‘That mediation process went on for more than six weeks, ultimately leading to Mr. Sharpe making an incredibly significant offer to settle. Ultimately Jane Doe refused the hefty sum offered by Sharpe and instead filed this case last night.’

Sharpe enjoyed a Hall of Fame career as a tight end, mostly with the Denver Broncos, before becoming a popular TV analyst on shows such as ESPN’s ‘First Take’.

Although he continued with his two podcasts, Sharpe stepped away from his part-time duties with ESPN in April.

In the case of Watson, meanwhile, Buzbee represented two dozen female massage therapists in a sexual-harassment settlement against the Cleveland Browns quarterback.

All but one of the 24 cases have been settled. Watson denies any wrongdoing.