Retired NFL player Shannon Sharpe announced Thursday he is "temporarily" stepping aside from his work at ESPN after a young woman accused him of rape in a civil lawsuit. "My statement is found here and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100% consensual," Sharpe posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties. I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason." Read more at: https://www.9news.com/article/news/nation-world/shannon-sharpe-stepping-away-from-espn-civil-lawsuit/507-fde1c229-e1a0-457c-b3cb-80ff4112e120 More local videos here: https://youtube.com/@9news Subscribe to NEXT: https://youtube.com/@Nexton9NEWS Stay connected: 9NEWS Website: https://www.9news.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilike9news X: https://twitter.com/9NEWS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9newsdenver/ Download the 9NEWS App: https://www.9news.com/appredirect/ Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER: https://www.9news.com/email 9NEWS (KUSA) is located in Denver, Colorado.