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Stephen A. Smith breaks silence on co-host Shannon Sharpe's sexual assault allegations: 'Sad situation'
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Shannon Sharpe has found himself in a highly-publicized civil battle after he was accused of sexual assault this week.
The football Hall of Famer turned national television star was accused of assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery. He was also accused of engaging “in the intentional infliction of emotional distress,” with his accuser seeking $50 million in damages.
The situation has already gotten extremely ugly, with Sharpe calling the allegations a “shakedown” while he and his legal team released sexually explicit messages the woman had allegedly sent him over time. The woman is being represented by Tony Buzbee, who represented two dozen of the women who accused Deshaun Watson of sexual assault – all but one of those cases came to a settlement.
Buzbee also represented the woman who accused Jay-Z and Diddy of assault when she was just 13 – the charges were dropped, and Jay-Z is now suing the woman and Buzbee.
The hosts of ESPN First Take, Molly Qerim, Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Cam Newton, at the CFP Fan Central at the George World Congress Center. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Sharpe is now a guest host on ESPN’s “First Take,” and the mainstay in Stephen A. Smith broke the silence about the “sad situation” his “friend” is now in.
“We’ve grown close as friends. I certainly root for him. I know he’s been through a lot in life, he’s overcome a lot of things, and when he departed from FOX, I was more than happy to bring him on board here. So all I can speak to about is what I know based on the reports, and I can speak about ESPN and Disney,” Smith said on his own podcast, adding that ESPN was “aware” he would speak about Sharpe.
Smith said he also spoke with Sharpe, who “emphatically proclaims his innocence.” Smith is “hopeful and prayerful that he’s completely innocent,” but stopped short of saying so himself, and also criticized Sharpe’s response to the allegations.
“On one hand, going on the offensive to defend himself, I completely understand where Shannon Sharpe is coming from. On the other hand, when his legal team issued out the press release on X yesterday, they mentioned her name and revealed some of those explicit text messages, that was uncomfortable, and I don’t know if that’s a strategy that would work,” Smith said. “One of the hardest things in the world for all of us to do is to just lay low and be quiet and let our legal team do it. And we don’t always know if that’s the right thing to do.
Shannon Sharpe speaks onstage during the 2024 RenderATL Tech Conference at AmericasMart Atlanta on June 14, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
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“I know, and I can tell you all I spoke to Shannon, not in details, but I spoke to him, and he emphatically proclaims his innocence. According to Mr. Buzbee, his client emphatically proclaims his guilt. So where does that leave us? I’d love to tell you I know the answer to that question, but I don’t.
Smith added that he does not know what the end result will be in terms of Sharpe’s employment at ESPN or on “First Take,” but Smith said after speaking with ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, Pitaro “made it very very clear we are taking this matter very seriously, and we are looking into this very, very closely. And once we gather as many facts as we possibly can, we will go from there.”
“In my perfect world, this equates to Jay-Z where the case ultimately dropped, and Shannon is allowed to continue on “First Take” and thrive and shine and have an illustrious career in the podcast stratosphere… In my perfect world, he moves on. And somehow, someway, we find this all to be false. But it doesn’t seem like that’s the way things are about to go down considering who Mr. Buzbee is and how emphatic his client is proclaiming that she is right and she’s telling the truth. I don’t know where this is going to go. I can’t speak to anything else,” Smith continued.
“I hope all of this is a sad ordeal that goes away because there was no truth to it, but I don’t know. Neither do you or the rest of us. Only time will tell what the truth is.”
Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, said the releasing of the explicit messages between the plaintiff and Sharpe “clearly indicate the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.”
The complaint accused Sharpe of “manipulating and controlling Plaintiff” and making threats of violence against her.
Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Former NFL player Shannon Sharpe attends the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
“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,” the complaint read, via ProFootballTalk’s reporting. “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 raped Plaintiff, despite her sobbing and repeated screams of ‘no.’”
Sharpe said Buzbee, who “targets Black men,” is “also going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and play into every stereotype you could possibly imagine.” Buzbee confirmed that “an incredible damning video does indeed exist” that “speak[s] volumes about Mr. Sharpe and his behavior.”
Sharpe’s attorneys admitted that the former tight end previously offered the woman a settlement of around $10 million, but she declined.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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Sports
Pirates star pitcher makes unfortunate history after being taken out in middle of perfect game bid
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Jared Jones was flirting with Major League Baseball history on Wednesday night — he got it, but it was not what he originally envisioned.
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher retired the first 18 batters he faced, but he was taken out in the middle of his perfect game bid after six innings.
Now, the Pirates certainly have their reasons — the 24-year-old Jones hasn’t thrown more than 81 pitches in eight starts since returning May 20 after missing all of last season while undergoing ulnar collateral ligament internal brace surgery on May 21, 2025. He was yanked with 77 pitches and likely would have needed more than 100 pitches to record the 25th perfect game in MLB history.
Jared Jones of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 8, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
However, Jones left the game after getting zero run support, so when the Atlanta Braves tacked on three runs late for a 3-0 victory, Jones instead found himself in the wrong chapter of the history books.
According to Opta Stats, Jones became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1920) to pitch at least six perfect innings and not record a win.
“It does suck. Something’s cool coming on, but I’m on what? My eighth start off of surgery? I completely understand it, and it is what it is,” Jones told reporters after the game.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) makes his way to the field to warm up before pitching against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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Jones said he didn’t entertain attempting to complete the perfect game.
“Not with the pitch count,” he said. “Not really ever expecting to go nine right now, so that was never in my head.”
Joey Bart, traded to the Braves from the Pirates on June 18, followed a double by Mike Yastrzemski with a 422-foot, two-run homer to left-center field off a slider from Dennis Santana. Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center in the ninth for good measure.
It was the second time in less than a week that a pitcher was taken out of the game with a perfect bid through six innings — the Miami Marlins took Eury Perez out after seven innings in which he had 92 pitches. Perez, too, is in the midst of returning from injury and has surprisingly found himself right in the postseason mix.
He was pulled for Lake Bachar to start the eighth, and the Marlins allowed eight runs to the Athletics in the final two innings, but held on to win 9-8.
Jared Jones (17) of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch during a MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds on June 27, 2026, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Pirates are 4.0 games out of the final wild card spot, which is held by the Marlins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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WASHINGTON — The Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on July 23 to celebrate their latest World Series title.
“President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to The Times.
The date falls on a scheduled off day in the middle of a nine-game East Coast road trip for the Dodgers. The team will play three games in Philadelphia against the Phillies July 20-22 before ending the trip with a three-game series against the New York Mets July 24 to 26.
The visit continues a tradition from the Dodgers’ two previous World Series championships. They were hosted by President Biden in 2021 and President Trump in April 2025.
After the Dodgers claimed their second consecutive World Series title with a dramatic Game 7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, a visit to the White House was planned, but it wasn’t until Thursday that a date was officially booked and confirmed.
Questions swirled around whether players would decline the visit this year after it did not happen during a scheduled visit to Washington in April.
Kiké Hernández said in 2018 he was unsure he would have gone had the Dodgers won the World Series the previous year. Mookie Betts said he was undecided and needed to talk it over with his family when last year’s visit was announced. After winning his first World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, Betts skipped their trip to the White House the following year during Trump’s first term.
Both players, along with every returning member of the 2024 team who was with the team during its road trip, participated in the visit. The only notable absence was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who remained in Los Angeles to nurse an ankle injury.
Manager Dave Roberts, who indicated in comments to The Times in 2019 he might not go to the White House if Trump was president, also participated in last year’s ceremony.
Asked at the Dodgers’ fan festival in January about the possibility of returning to the White House, Roberts told The Times’ Bill Shaikin: “For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager. That’s my job.”
“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country,” Roberts said. “For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. … For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”
Clayton Kershaw, who retired after last season but was on Team USA for this year’s World Baseball Classic, told The Times in the spring that he was aware Dodgers fans are split over whether the team should visit the White House again this year, but he said he is looking forward to it.
“I went when President Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”
Times deputy sports editor Ed Guzman contributed to this report.
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All eyes were on Caitlin Clark on Wednesday night as she made her anticipated return from injury in a road matchup in Los Angeles.
But instead of a triumphant comeback, the Fever spent the entire night chasing the Sparks as Clark’s rough return fueled a 106-92 rout.
The superstar never found a groove, looking completely out of sync in her return from a back injury.
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Caitlin Clark huddles with teammates as the Indiana Fever battle the Sparks. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
Much of that disjointed performance falls squarely on head coach Stephanie White, who kept Clark on a ridiculously tight leash by limiting her to just 16 minutes. The stop-and-go approach could have sabotaged any chance for the phenom to establish a rhythm.
Clark finished with just 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Her minus-16 plus-minus told the story.
The Los Angeles Sparks were severely shorthanded, taking the floor without stars Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink.
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Yet while a depleted Sparks roster played to win, Indiana spent the night over-managing its biggest asset.
With Clark on a minutes restriction and Aliyah Boston out of the lineup, Kelsey Mitchell was forced to shoulder the entire offensive burden.
Mitchell did her part, pouring in 29 points while shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Caitlin Clark orchestrates the Fever offense as Indiana battles the Los Angeles Sparks in primetime action. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
But one hot hand couldn’t stop an efficient LA squad.
The Sparks shot 45% from three-point range, going 9-of-20 from deep to cruise to the 106-92 victory.
White’s next move is to sit Clark against the Mercury on Thursday while Boston returns.
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After Wednesday’s loss to a shorthanded Sparks team, it’s fair to question whether Indiana’s cautious approach is working. The Fever dropped to 12-9.
Caitlin Clark and Dearica Hamby face off as Fever and Sparks battle at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images))
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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