A JUDGE presiding over a case against ESPN star Shannon Sharpe has demanded that the star’s rape accuser “do not destroy” a sex tape to preserve “evidence” in a second lawsuit.
The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that Sharpe’s other rape accuser, Michele Evans, filed an order to stop the destruction of an alleged sex tape involving a woman who settled her $50 million lawsuit with the famed sportscaster on Friday, July 19.
A judge has ordered ESPN star Shannon Sharpe not to destroy a sex tape that was part of a $50 million rape lawsuit he just settled last week[/caption]
Sharpe settled a massive lawsuit with his OnlyFans model accuser, who had accused him of rape – now a judge in another rape allegation case – wants that tape saved[/caption]
Sharpe stepped away from his role on First Take and denied the woman’s accusation against him, slamming the now-settled mega bucks suit as a “shakedown.”
In the order, Evans demanded that Sharpe’s OnlyFans model accuser, who is identified in court records as Jane Doe, as well as her attorney Tony Buzbee, Sharpe and any other “third party with custody or control over the described evidence” refrain from destroying the alleged sex tape.
On Tuesday, the judge in the case ruled in Evans favor and ordered that the tape, and any other recordings between Sharpe and Jane Doe, not be destroyed.
The judge wrote: “ORDERED that pending the hearing of this order to show cause, defendant Shannon Sharpe, [Jane Doe], Tony Buzbee and any other parties acting on their behalf are hereby temporarily restrained from destroying altering erasing or otherwise tampering with the described video/ audio evidence.”
The tape, which Jane Doe’s attorney Tony Buzbee previously called “key evidence,” purportedly shows Sharpe and Jane Doe engaged in sex acts.
The tape was initially only disclosed publicly by the sportscaster himself in the wake of Jane Doe’s lawsuit filing in Las Vegas.
Jane Doe alleged Sharpe, 57, raped her in late 2024 and again in early 2025 when she was just 20 years old.
Sharpe said of the tape, just days after Jane Doe filed her suit on April 20, “I believe [Buzbee] is 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.”
“That video should actually be 10 minutes or so. Hey, Tony, instead of releasing your edit, put the whole video out. I don’t have it, or I would myself.”
Attached to her request to the court to demand that the tape not be destroyed, Evans included an exhibit of an email she sent to Jane Doe’s attorney specifically, demanding that the tape not be destroyed.
Evans’ email to the powerhouse attorney read: “I am writing to place you on formal notice that you are in possession of evidence that is or may be relevant to ongoing or anticipated litigation involving Shannon Sharpe.
“Specifically, I have reason to believe that you possess video or audio recordings that depict or relate to Mr. Sharpe’s interactions with [Jane Doe], which may be central to claims raised in existing or forthcoming legal actions.”
Evans’ letter to the attorney continued: “You are hereby directed to preserve and not destroy, alter, conceal, overwrite, or otherwise tamper with any and all materials in your possession, custody, or control that may relate to the matters described above.”
The U.S. Sun reached out to Buzbee and Sharpe’s attorney for response.
As The U.S. Sun reported last week, Jane Doe settled her $50 million lawsuit and the case was dismissed with prejudice – which means the woman cannot refile her claim against the famed sportscaster.
Sharpe stepped away from his role on First Take in the wake of Jane Doe’s lawsuit.
Evans currently has two cases pending in court against Sharpe.
The first was filed in 2023 for defamation, in which she alleged the former ESPN star had raped her and then engaged in a public attack on her.
The second case was filed in 2024 against various networks Sharpe has appeared on.
In that suit, Evans alleged that former NFL star has perpetuated gender motivated violence against her which included “physical violence, harassment, threats, coercion, and other forms of abusive conduct.”
Evans has added the various networks and media entities as she alleged in the suit that “they have participated the production, broadcasting, and publication of harassing, defamatory, and retaliatory statements made by Defendant Shannon Sharpe about Plaintiff.”
ALLEGATION OF RAPE
In a lawsuit filed on December 20, 2023, in New York Supreme Court, Evans recounted a confrontation from 2010, describing it as the “biggest argument that we ever got in.”
The ESPN First Take star has firmly denied all allegations.
In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, Evans claimed: “He was controlling. He was domineering. He was manhandling me, and he wanted to have sex, and I told him no.
“So he overpowered me, put me to my knees, put his penis in my mouth, and after he got enough of that, he put me on the bed. And you know, this was all a struggle.
“I had said no, and I kept saying no… so it was the hardest thing. Yeah, this is just too hard,” Evans said, her voice trembling as she recounted the alleged incident, appearing visibly distressed.
Evans revealed that she initially did not plan to report the incident to the authorities or involve the police. However, in her 2023 lawsuit, she alleged that Sharpe threatened her to ensure her silence.
“He started coming at me, saying that if I told anyone, he’d use everyone he knows to ruin me—which he basically has,” she alleged.
Evans claimed that following the incident, Sharpe began making threats against her, which ultimately led her to seek a restraining order.
In her 2010 restraining order, Evans alleged Sharpe “forced [her] to have sex with him; he repeatedly calls and threatens her life; [Sharpe] places [Evans] under surveillance and calls to say he is watching.”
In response to Evan’s interview with The U.S. Sun Sharpe’s team referenced a statement from his attorney, Mitchell Schuster.
“It should be of no surprise that when someone famous is in the news, all sorts of people crawl out of the woodwork to share their connection to that person in an attempt to profit from that alleged relationship,” it read.
“In many cases those stories or accusations are nothing more than old news, fanciful exaggerations, or sometimes blatant misrepresentations of fact.”
“Sadly, Ms. Evans became obsessed with Shannon and decided to manufacture a claim against him. When she could not find a lawyer to pursue her outrageous story, she filed a civil complaint on her own that is completely devoid of merit.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
Michele Evans accused Sharpe of raping her in 2010, and claimed in her own lawsuit that since then, the ESPN star has continued to attack her publicly[/caption]
Evans met Sharpe when she was a local sports reporter and he was playing for the Broncos[/caption]
Sharpe just settled a massive , $50 million lawsuit last week with a woman who has also accused him of rape[/caption]
