ESPN Releases Statement On Shannon Sharpe Decision

ESPN has stayed very silent throughout the week as contributor Shannon Sharpe has been dealing with a serious lawsuit in a very public way.

Earlier this week, a lawsuit was filed against Sharpe alleging that he abused a woman he had been in a relationship with. But despite the allegations going public, ESPN did not keep Sharpe from making his regularly scheduled appearances on their programming - much to the shock of many followers.

Even after the release of some very disturbing audio and some public back-and-forth between Sharpe's legal representation and others, the network stayed silent. 

However, a short while ago Sharpe announced that he would be stepping away from ESPN to spend more time with his family and focus on himself.

"“My statement is found here and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100% consensual,” Sharpe wrote on X today. "At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties. I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason.”

ESPN has finally broken their own silence on the matter. A short while ago, they released a statement saying, "This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon's decision to step away."