"They revealed explicit text messages" - Stephen A. Smith calls out Shannon Sharpe's legal team to settle alleged sexual assault lawsuit

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith has questioned the legal strategy employed by Shannon Sharpe's defense team, including their response to a $50 million sexual assault lawsuit filed against the former NFL star.

Smith and Sharpe are colleagues, appearing regularly on the network's popular morning show "First Take."

During Wednesday's episode of his podcast, Smith addressed the lawsuit filed against Sharpe.

"They mentioned her name and they revealed some of those explicit text messages," Smith said, via 'The Stephen A Smith Show.' "That was uncomfortable. And I don't know if that's a strategy that would work."

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The legal drama began when an anonymous woman filed the lawsuit on Monday. It was filed in Clark County, Nevada, and accused the Pro Football Hall of Famer of assault, sexual assault, battery, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The nonconsensual sexual encounters allegedly happened between October and January.

Stephen A. Smith hopes Shannon Sharpe is innocent

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Despite his critique of Shannon Sharpe's legal approach, Stephen A. Smith made his hopes for his colleague clear during his podcast discussion of the sensitive matter.

"I am sincerely hopeful and prayerful that he's innocent," Smith said on Wednesday, via 'The Stephen A. Smith Show.'

According to reports, Sharpe's attorney, Lanny J. Davis, told reporters on Monday that Sharpe offered the accuser "at least $10 million" to settle the case in mediation, but she declined. Attorney Tony Buzbee, representing the accuser, confirmed this offer on Instagram, saying his client "rejected that offer, choosing instead to proceed with litigation."

The lawsuit claims that Sharpe and his accuser met at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 when he was 54 and she was 20.

Smith also disclosed conversations with ESPN executives about the controversy.

"I can tell you I also spoke to (the) co-chairman of Disney, the boss, Jimmy Pitaro, who made it very, very clear that we are taking this matter very seriously," Smith said. "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."

Sharpe has strongly denied the allegations. In a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, he called the lawsuit "a shakedown" and said that he intends to sue his accuser and her attorney.