Former football star and sportscaster Marcellus Wiley recently shared his opinion on why ESPN decided to cut ties with Shannon Sharpe shortly after he settled his s*xual assault and battery lawsuit with his ex-girlfriend. On July 30, 2025, ESPN announced Sharpe's dismissal from the network, where he had been co-hosting the show First Take with Stephen A. Smith.That same day, Marcellus Wiley took to his YouTube channel to explain why he believes ESPN decided to part ways with Shannon Sharpe. He cited two main reasons for the dismissal: first, Sharpe's refusal to settle when the lawsuit was initially filed before it became public. Wiley asserted that this decision cost Sharpe "money, reputation, and opportunity."The second reason Wiley mentioned was Sharpe's reaction to the allegations in the lawsuit. Wiley explained that instead of sending out the defense, Shannon Sharpe took the offense when he publicly released text messages between himself and the accuser to prove that it was a consensual relationship."Second thing is, even if he didn't settle, even if he didn't get a demand letter and she just blindsided him, okay. He shouldn't have sent the offense on the field, right? And this coin flip, once you find out this is what she's doing, alright. They're like, 'She won the flip, what would you like to do?' Should've deferred. Sent the defense out there, simple as that," Wiley said."Sending the offense out there, which meant leaking out the text messages, leaking out things about her character, leaking out her name...all that...that's why ESPN had to cut ties with him. It's because all of that was let out.Furthermore, Wiley added that the "devilish details" mentioned in the lawsuit would have mostly remained hidden from the public if not for Sharpe releasing the text messages, claiming that most people do not read court documents and instead rely on social media platforms for summaries. Wiley also believed that Shannon Sharpe's response to the allegations was worse than the allegations themselves, which seemingly pushed ESPN to dismiss him.Shannon Sharpe addressed his dismissal from ESPNShannon Sharpe discussed his departure from ESPN on the latest episode of his Nightcap podcast with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Joe Johnson. Sharpe, who also hosts Club Shay Shay, expressed gratitude to ESPN for the opportunity he was given and said he is at peace with their decision to let him go."They (fans) saw me 'Lakers in five' and they saw me say all these funny analogies that my grandparents gave me. I was able to bring that to ESPN. So I'm very, very grateful for that. They did what they felt they needed to do. And I'm at peace with that," he said.However, he said his only regret was the timing of the dismissal, as it conflicted with his brother Sterling Sharpe's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, scheduled for August 2. Sharpe revealed that he asked ESPN to delay announcing his dismissal until August 4. Still, things did not work out.Shannon Sharpe added that he spoke to his brother and "profusely" apologized for possibly overshadowing his celebration, with his brother's response being:"He said, "Bro, stop apologizing. You don't have to apologize. I'm your big bro. I'm going to love you regardless. We all make mistakes. I love you.'"Shannon Sharpe's last appearance on ESPN's First Take with Stephen A. Smith was in April 2025. He took a leave of absence after his former girlfriend, known only as Jane Doe, filed a $50 million s*xual assault and battery lawsuit against him, accusing him of “manipulating and controlling” her during their two-year relationship that began in 2023 when she was 20 years old.As per CCN's reports, the woman also accused Sharpe of r*ping her on two separate occasions. Sharpe denied the allegations and accused his ex-girlfriend and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, of attempting a shakedown for money.On July 18, Buzbee announced that both parties reached a "mutually agreed upon resolution." Sharpe's lawsuit was reportedly settled for an undisclosed amount, and the case was dropped.