On one hand, attorney Lanny Davis has launched an aggressive defense of Hall of Fame tight end and media personality Shannon Sharpe. On the other hand, Davis has confirmed that Sharpe has made a very significant financial offer to the plaintiff.
During a Tuesday conference call, Davis repeatedly said that Sharpe offered “tens of millions of dollars” to settle the case before the lawsuit was filed. After several requests for clarification, Davis (after repeating that it was tens of millions) revised his position to say it was “at least $10 million.”
Whether $10 million or some multiple of $10 million, that’s a stunning revelation. Davis was asked to clarify whether Sharpe offered $10 million or in the “tens of millions.” The offer was made in a formal mediation session, before Davis was involved in the case.
It’s hard to reconcile the aggressive claim that the allegations are fabricated with the admission that Sharpe offered at least $10 million to settle the case. While settlement offers are almost always inadmissible in court, Davis and Sharpe have launched a robust defense in the court of public opinion. And the jury in the court of public opinion (i.e., anyone paying attention to the case) will have a hard time squaring an insistence of falsification and blackmail with a willingness to pay at least $10 million.
It also could be a red flag for ESPN and anyone else doing business with Sharpe. At a minimum, they’ll want to know why he was willing to pay that much money if, as he and Davis insist, he’s completely blameless.
Published April 22, 2025 02:56 PM
On one hand, attorney Lanny Davis has launched an aggressive defense of Hall of Fame tight end and media personality Shannon Sharpe. On the other hand, Davis has confirmed that Sharpe has made a very significant financial offer to the plaintiff.
During a Tuesday conference call, Davis repeatedly said that Sharpe offered “tens of millions of dollars” to settle the case before the lawsuit was filed. After several requests for clarification, Davis (after repeating that it was tens of millions) revised his position to say it was “at least $10 million.”
Whether $10 million or some multiple of $10 million, that’s a stunning revelation. Davis was asked to clarify whether Sharpe offered $10 million or in the “tens of millions.” The offer was made in a formal mediation session, before Davis was involved in the case.
It’s hard to reconcile the aggressive claim that the allegations are fabricated with the admission that Sharpe offered at least $10 million to settle the case. While settlement offers are almost always inadmissible in court, Davis and Sharpe have launched a robust defense in the court of public opinion. And the jury in the court of public opinion (i.e., anyone paying attention to the case) will have a hard time squaring an insistence of falsification and blackmail with a willingness to pay at least $10 million.
It also could be a red flag for ESPN and anyone else doing business with Sharpe. At a minimum, they’ll want to know why he was willing to pay that much money if, as he and Davis insist, he’s completely blameless.
