UPDATE
9:25 AM PT — Shannon Sharpe and his attorney, Lanny J. Davis, have vowed to address the audio later Tuesday.
The Hall of Famer, Davis said, will make a statement on his Instagram page. The lawyer said he’d then follow that up with his own conference call a short time later.
The woman accusing Shannon Sharpe of rape has now released audio of a conversation she says she had with the Pro Football Hall of Famer … and in it, Sharpe can be heard telling her he’s “going to f***ing choke the shit out” of her.
TMZ.com
Jane Doe‘s attorney, Tony Buzbee, sent TMZ Sports the 1:36 minute clip on Tuesday … alleging the convo took place at some point toward the end of his client’s relationship with the ESPN personality.
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The two appear to be in a dispute during the talk — and it escalates further when Doe asks Sharpe to not “manipulate” her.
“Oh, Lord have mercy,” Sharpe can be heard saying in response to Doe. “If you say that word one more time, I’m going to f***ing choke the s*** out of you when I see you.”
A long pause ensues … and the woman then tells Sharpe “I don’t want to be choked,” but Sharpe can be heard replying, “Yes, you do. I don’t think you have a choice in the matter.”
The context of the conversation is not clear. The parties purportedly had a history of using graphic language showing a consensual dominant/subservient relationship. Text messages Sharpe’s attorney shared on Monday showed the woman did once ask him to “put a dog collar around my neck and choke [her] with it while ur f***ing me.” It’s also clear Buzbee did not provide us with the entire audio and it’s impossible to tell what else might be on the recording.
Nonetheless, Buzbee was adamant Tuesday, “the contents of this clip are certainly not sexual. They are not playful. They are instead disturbing, aggressive, and dangerous.”
“This audio,” he continued, “paints a very clear picture of how Sharpe treated Jane Doe, leading her to escape from him by leaving Nevada and blocking all contact with him.”
Buzbee also added he’s only releasing the audio because Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, “attempted to discredit” his client by “releasing alleged texts from her that are obviously dated prior to the alleged assault.”
We’ve reached out to Davis for comment, but we have not heard back yet. The lawyer, though, did issue a strong denial of Doe’s initial claims on Sharpe’s behalf on Monday afternoon … saying Doe’s lawsuit was nothing more than “a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars.”
Sharpe, meanwhile, has continued to remain on ESPN airwaves despite the allegations — he performed his regular gig on “First Take” on both Monday and Tuesday.
