Back in the Spring, Shannon Sharpe took a leave of absence from ESPN when he was charged with rape by his ex-girlfriend. Sharpe denied the accusation and said he was going off the air to focus on defending himself in the matter. The plaintiff here sought $50M from Sharpe for “pain and suffering, psychological and emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment and humiliation.” [Aside: You have to hand it to her lawyer for touching all the bases there,] Sharpe and his lawyer labeled all of this as a “shakedown” saying the relationship was consensual. [Aside: No surprise there.]
When he stepped back from ESPN in the Spring, Sharpe said he would return when NFL Training camps convened and that appeared to be on track as of a couple of weeks ago when the lawsuit was settled. Some reports said that the settlement fee was $23M; I have not seen any links to anything that would be proof-positive of that dollar amount. Given that the woman was asking for $50M in the first place, that does not seem to me to be an outrageous settlement figure. The suit was “dismissed with prejudice” meaning that it cannot be reinstated in the future. So, with NFL Training Camps about to open, Sharpe would seem to have been “rested and ready” for a return to ESPN programming.
Things took a turn this week, however. ESPN decided to walk away from Shannon Sharpe. I have not found a statement from ESPN explaining this decision which is interesting in that generic statements from the “firing entity” are usually at the ready when the separation in question becomes public. I have no inside information here, but something tells me that this story has not run its course just yet…
Moving on … Another retired athlete finds himself in an unusual circumstance this morning. Gilbert Arenas was arrested yesterday on Federal charges of illegal gambling. Prosecutors say that Arenas ran an “illegal gambling operation”; Arenas posted $50K bond and was released this morning. Here is a rough outline of the charges:
- Arenas and several others supposedly rented out a mansion Arenas owned in California “to hold high-stakes card games from September 2021 to July 2022.”
- Arenas allegedly hired someone to “help him stage the place for games and to collect rent.”
- Arenas and his cohorts allegedly “hired women to serve the gamblers and added a staff of chefs and security guards” to give the games a luxurious air.
- Arenas and the others made their money from the rent plus a rake of every pot from every hand in the high-stakes games.
The trial date for this event is set for September 23. Upon his release this morning, Arenas appeared to be happy and said, “They can’t hold me.” This one might turn out to be fun to watch …
Switching gears … The Phillies and the Twins executed a trade yesterday giving the Phillies a much-needed closer out of the bullpen and giving the Twins two solid prospects. It appears to be beneficial to both sides when viewed from different time perspectives. The Phillies have struggled with their bullpen this season; their projected closer – – Jose Alvarado is currently serving an 80-game suspension levied by MLB for testing positive for “exogenous testosterone”. Alvarado was suspended on May 18, 2025, when the Phillies had a record of 28-28. That means that Alvarado will be eligible to return to the team for the stretch run. And to get to that point, the Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran yesterday.
Duran is 27 years old and is “under team control” for two seasons. His career ERA is 2.47 and he has saved 16 games for the Twins so far in 2025. He has recorded 53 strikeouts in 2025 in 49.1 innings pitched. He was one of the top relief pitchers on the “available list” for this year. Importantly, Duran is right-handed; that is noteworthy because Alvardo is left-handed. Should Alvarado return to the team at a performance level the team anticipated, that would give the team a potent pair of relief options for this year’s post-season. [Aside: The Phillies have not clinched a playoff spot for 2025, but they are in good position to participate in October.]
Finally, the Gilbert Arenas/gambling issue mentioned above leads to these observations about gambling:
“Gambling has brought our family together. We had to move to a smaller house.” [Tommy Cooper]
And …
“Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing for something.” [Wilson Mizner]
And …
“Part of the $10 million I spent on gambling, part on booze and part on women. The rest I spent foolishly.” [George Raft]
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
Unfortunately for we Phillies fans, Alvarado is not eligible for the post season. He can come back and pitch for the stretch run after his 80 game suspension is over, but is barred from post season play.