Police were called to the home of three-time Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe after he reported an alleged burglary at his Los Angeles home last week. The Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end and Fox Sports talk show host says the thieves walked away with approximately $1 million in jewelry, designer bags, and watches from the heist, while Sharpe was away from the home.
The burglary comes two weeks after the athlete asked the courts to dismiss a defamation lawsuit initiated against him by another NFL legend, one who is embroiled in a welfare fraud scandal.
The Robbery
According to law enforcement, the burglary happened on May 19 between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., while Sharpe and some of his friends were having dinner in the town, TMZ first reported.
Upon returning to his home, Sharpe, whose net worth is estimated at $14 million, noticed something was amiss. Despite no obvious signs of forced entry, he noticed some of his valuables were missing and immediately alerted authorities.
No arrests have been made in the robbery. Officials are continuing to investigate the matter.
The footballer-turned-host has offered a $50,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
The Lawsuit
The burglary comes on the heels of Sharpe firing back at a defamation lawsuit filed in February against him by Brett Favre, a Hall of Fame quarterback. In early May, Sharpe requested that the court dismiss the case against him.
Favre’s lawsuit centers around comments Sharpe made on Sept. 14 about how the former Green Bay Packers star and others are accused of misappropriating millions of dollars from the state of Mississippi’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families fund through a series of underhanded deals with nonprofits. The state is suing Favre and the others to recoup millions in welfare funds.
“Sharpe’s opinions — commentary based on reported facts and couched in rhetorical hyperbole regarding an issue of public concern about a public figure — lie at the core of the protections afforded by the First Amendment and Mississippi law,” Sharpe’s lawyers wrote according to NBC Sports.
What Sharpe Said
During his “Undisputed” show with Skip Bayless, Sharpe said, “So, if that is the poorest state, Brett Favre is taking from the underserved. You made a hundred-plus million dollars in the NFL, and to talk about, well, [Favre] didn’t know. This is what Brett Favre texted, ‘If you were to pay me, is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?’”
“He stole money from people that really needed that money,” Sharpe said, later adding, “You got to be really low to take from the poorest of the poor.”
Favre has continued to insist he has committed no crime. Favre is still a defendant in Mississippi’s civil lawsuit.
