Shannon Sharpe just fired back hard, against his accuser. In a jaw-dropping escalation of the $50 million lawsuit filed against the Hall of Fame tight end, Sharpe’s legal team has gone public with a series of disturbingly explicit text messages they say prove the relationship in question was consensual, and deeply sexual.
His attorney, Lanny J. Davis, didn’t hold back. In a scorched-earth statement released Monday, Davis painted the civil suit filed by Gabriella Zuniga as a “blatant and cynical” cash grab, and he brought the receipts.
Disclaimer: The text messages released are graphic and sexually explicit. While Sharpe’s legal team presents them as proof of a consensual relationship, the content may be disturbing or triggering to some readers.
Among the texts allegedly sent by Zuniga:
“I want you to put a dog collar around my neck and choke me with it while you’re f**king me.”
“I know u miss this big juicy ass… $25k for each cheek.”
Another: “Only if you put that baby gravy in me, then I can do whatever I want to me.”
And perhaps most shocking: “That’s my daddy f**k I want u to put a big black baby in me.”
Davis says these texts are just a sample from a broader pattern of “graphic, sexual communications initiated by Ms. Zuniga” and are meant to obliterate the narrative she’s crafted in her lawsuit. The defense insists this was a fully consensual, often graphic, sexual relationship, one that continued right up until January 2, 2025, the day after the now-viral “$25,000 per cheek” message.
Sharpe, according to Davis, was hit with a blackmail attempt involving a secretly recorded video of a sexual encounter, one his camp claims was consensual and edited to appear otherwise. They allege Zuniga has refused to hand over the uncut version of the tape.
The legal firestorm has set social media ablaze, with fans, critics, and commentators reeling over the explicit nature of the texts and what it means for both the case and Sharpe’s future.
While Sharpe has remained publicly silent since the suit broke, this move signals he’s ready to fight dirty if needed. The gloves are off.
Whether the texts and the dramatic counterpunch will be enough to derail the lawsuit remains to be seen. But one thing is clea