By Ryan Agosto, Staff Writer
As the common news and media cover a multitude of stories on celebrities and the lives they lead, very few things fall between the cracks. The stories that follow these celebrities become taken as reality, as the biggest and smallest things about them become stories in modern culture.
The latest media stories discuss Shannon Sharpe, a former professional Football player, who played 14 seasons in the NFL as a Tight End, primarily active on the field for the Denver Broncos. Sharpe was inducted into the National Football Hall of fame in 2011 for exceptional athletic abilities, setting records in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns as a Tight End.
Sharpe’s professional football career ended in 2003, where he would spend the following years as a media analyst and personality for sports media networks, known for being a very vibrant and opinionated commentator.
However, while Shannon Sharpe has had an extensive and successful career, a new light falls upon him as a $50 Million Lawsuit has been anonymously filed against Sharpe. The lawsuit against Sharpe is accuses him of assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery. Sharpe has denied all accusations.
Though Sharpe has denied any and all crimes he is being accused of, people have become divided on their opinions over the lawsuit, with some believing Sharpe to be innocent, and others believing action should be taken against him under the premise that the lawsuit had to be filed with good reason.
While the intentions of most onlookers are mostly pure at heart, the media’s coverage of the situation has intensified the opinions of the public.
Freshman communications major Joseph Puvogel shared his opinion.
“As a decent sports fan, it’s a sad situation to see. No matter what, his career will be taken from him,” he said. “To be accused of the crimes that he has been is an awful thing, and when accusations face someone as popular as he is, his successes will be taken from him, as they have been from other celebrities. People get famous and someone always coughs up something about a crime being committed, seeking monetary retribution for their actions. Famous people, especially athletes get preyed upon easily with these kinds of scenarios. It never matters to people where they came from, how hard they worked, and the things they achieved. When accusations as serious as those are made against someone, the common public only really cares about two things: The crimes, and if they committed them or not. And even then, there’s always a group of people who want justice before the verdict is given”.
In the age of social media and cancel culture, it is not uncommon for people to be ‘cancelled’ without due process.
Junior nursing major Ashis Johnson shared his thoughts on the situation.
“The worst part about scenarios like this is not the verdict. It’s actually what happens after,” he said.
“When dealing with something like this, if they’re guilty of the crime, they deserve the punishment. However, even if he isn’t guilty, he’ll still be faced with backlash and be punished for it even being spoken about. His career as a sportscaster has been ended by this. As a nursing student, I care for a lot of people. Looking at this, nobody is ever really going to care about him again. He’ll never get the treatment or respect he deserves after an incident like this, and this isn’t only just for him either. In instances similar to this, with other celebrities, the legacy they leave behind only becomes the story about a potential crime. In the future, people will remember Shannon Sharpe and they’ll think of this lawsuit”.
Accusations that target celebrities tend to follow them for the rest of their lives, as if the image of who they were has been permanently stained forever, unable to return to what it once was.
As the media intensifies public opinions with their portrayal of stories, the celebrities that they target with these stories become victimized by the accusations that besmirch their names, ruining the lives they lead and staining the legacy they leave behind them.
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