Following the former NFL player’s court appearance this week, Shannon Sharpe‘s case took an unexpected turn.
During his first court appearance on Wednesday, Sharpe—who has been absent from ESPN due to the sexual assault allegations—may have been taken aback to see that he was the only person in the room with legal representation.
The Hall of Famer arrived accompanied by Robert DeMarco, his lawyer. But according to KLAS, the plaintiff, Gabriel Zuniga, was not represented by an attorney, which led Judge Anna Albertson of the Clark County District Court to say, “I’m disappointed.”
Attorney for Shannon Sharpe’s accuser no-shows first court hearing https://t.co/MtWaHGQmtE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 11, 2025
Tony Buzbee, the well-known lawyer who has criticized Jay-Z, P Diddy, and Deshaun Watson, is Zuniga’s representative. Since he didn’t show up on Wednesday, we don’t know what’s going on with that, so at least that’s what’s thought to be the case.
According to recent sources, Buzbee was active on social media this week and recently had a lawsuit brought by Jay-Z dismissed. It seems strange that he would not appear for a client who was suing a former NFL player and media personality for $50 million.
