The civil lawsuit against Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe went to court for the first time this week. Per KLAS-TV, via AwfulAnnouncing.com, the attorney representing the plaintiff didn’t show up.
As noted here earlier in the week, the hearing was scheduled in connection with three different motions to associate counsel.
Per the report, Judge Anna Albertson expressed “disappointment” that the plaintiff was not represented for the hearing. The complaint identifies two lawyers representing the plaintiff: Tony Buzbee and Micah Nash.
Given the information in the court records, the hearing did not involve anything critical to the case. Still, if the judge expects the lawyers to be there, it’s probably a good idea to be there.
The next hearing is set for September 3.
Sharpe, as of our last posting, had yet to respond to the $50 million complaint. His primary options are filing a motion to dismiss or answering the allegations, one paragraph at a time. If/when Sharpe answers the complaint, he also can file a counterclaim against the plaintiff. His lawyer has said that Sharpe plans to do so.
UPDATE 1:28 p.m. ET: Attorney Tony Buzbee tells PFT that the hearing had been postponed by agreement of counsel.
Safety Justin Simmons has been named a second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler over the course of his nine-year NFL career, but he’s never appeared in a playoff game and changing that is the top thing on his mind as he looks for a place to play in 2025.
A report in June indicated that the Panthers were interested in the veteran, but that no signing was imminent and it might not come together if Simmons continues to prioritize the chance to get to the postseason. Simmons signed with the the Falcons last year after his eight-year run with the Broncos came to an end and Simmons said that he’s taking his time before signing anywhere else because he wants to make sure the team is in position to succeed.
“I think Atlanta I would still pick 10 out of 10 times if I was in the spot last year,” Simmons said, via Sean Keeler of the Denver Post. “But in terms of where I’m at now, being a little bit more picky where we want to go and where we want to call home next . . . the next two years, a year, whatever it is . . . but a contender is No. 1 on the list right now.”
The Broncos ended their own playoff drought without Simmons last year and Simmons said there’s no “bad blood” after he was cut loose for cap reasons, but it doesn’t seem likely that a reunion is a likely place for Simmons to end his current employment search.
Wide receiver Marvin Mims wasn’t around for most of the Broncos’ eight-season playoff drought, but he was around long enough to notice a difference in the team heading into the 2025 season.
The Broncos snapped that drought by qualifying for the playoffs last season. They were quickly ousted by the Bills, but Mims said the returning players now “know what it takes to get there” and that the experience new additions like linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga bring to the team makes for a different atmosphere in Denver.
“You can really feel that the times are changing for us,” Mims said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “People always like to say a “win now” mode. With the way things went last year — we were projected to be last in the league last year and wound up making the wild card. Guys that were here last year, they believe. The guys that are coming in, they want to make an impact too. I think everyone’s hungry.”
The flip side of the Broncos gaining that experience last year is that no one is going to take them lightly this season, but Mims appears confident in the team’s chances of succeeding in the face of higher expectations.
Thursday’s #PFTPM including a simple question: “What are your thoughts on a potential Bills-Rams Super Bowl?”
My thoughts are it could happen, because both teams are firmly in the Super Bowl window.
In any given year, not many teams truly are. And while teams not apparently in the window can, in theory, win their way in, the salary-cap system has matured to the point where some teams have cracked the code — and some teams can’t crack their way out of a paper bag.
It also helps to have drafted and developed a franchise quarterback.
In most years, roughly 10 teams are in the window, roughly 10 teams aren’t, and the remaining 12 could break either way. This year, the AFC’s true short-list contenders are the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, Bengals, and Texans. The Broncos and Chargers could force their way into the conversation.
In the NFC, it’s the Eagles, Lions, Rams, 49ers, and Commanders. Maybe the Buccaneers. Maybe the Vikings.
Again, things can and will change. That’s why they play the games, as someone once said. All the time.
For those who like a little variety, it would be nice for someone other than the Chiefs to get a turn in the Super Bowl. And for someone other than the Eagles, 49ers, or Rams to emerge from the NFC.
Since 2017, it’s been the Eagles three times, the 49ers twice, the Rams twice, and the Bucs once. For the AFC, it’s been only the Patriots, Chiefs, and Bengals.
That’s it. Over eight seasons, seven total franchises have taken the 16 total Super Bowl berths.
Free agency, the salary cap, and a draft process that rewards failure should be enough to mix things up. But the reality is that good teams stay good, and bad teams stay bad.
The days preceding the draft were dominated by news of a sexual assault lawsuit that had been filed against Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. An ill-advised P.R. blitz, which included his lawyer, Lanny Davis, that Sharpe had offered at least $10 million to settle the case, fueled the coverage for multiple days.
Then, things died down.
Now, more than two months after the case was filed against Sharpe, he has not responded to the civil complaint. In most jurisdictions, a response is due within 30 days after service. Extensions are commonly granted among lawyers as a courtesy.
The electronic database for the Clark County, Nevada civil court system shows various filings regarding the lawyer(s) who will be associated with the case. A hearing on three different motions to associate counsel is set for July 9, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. local time. The hearing originally had been set for June 30.
Davis said in a press conference held two days after the filing of the case that Sharpe will file a counterclaim against the plaintiff. For now, though, there has been no formal response by Sharpe to the civil complaint.
Less than a week after the case was filed, Sharpe stepped away from his employment with ESPN until the start of the NFL preseason. With the preseason looming (the Hall of Fame game happens on July 31) and the case still in its infancy, it remains to be seen whether Sharpe will indeed return by the end of the month.
