Stephen A. Smith breaks silence on co-host Shannon Sharpe's sexual assault allegations: 'Sad situation'

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Shannon Sharpe has found himself in a highly-publicized civil battle after he was accused of sexual assault this week.

The football Hall of Famer turned national television star was accused of assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery. He was also accused of engaging "in the intentional infliction of emotional distress," with his accuser seeking $50 million in damages.

The situation has already gotten extremely ugly, with Sharpe calling the allegations a "shakedown" while he and his legal team released sexually explicit messages the woman had allegedly sent him over time. The woman is being represented by Tony Buzbee, who represented two dozen of the women who accused Deshaun Watson of sexual assault – all but one of those cases came to a settlement.

Buzbee also represented the woman who accused Jay-Z and Diddy of assault when she was just 13 – the charges were dropped, and Jay-Z is now suing the woman and Buzbee.

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The hosts of ESPN First Take, Molly Qerim, Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Cam Newton, at the CFP Fan Central at the George World Congress Center.  (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Sharpe is now a guest host on ESPN's "First Take," and the mainstay in Stephen A. Smith broke the silence about the "sad situation" his "friend" is now in.

"We've grown close as friends. I certainly root for him. I know he's been through a lot in life, he's overcome a lot of things, and when he departed from FOX, I was more than happy to bring him on board here. So all I can speak to about is what I know based on the reports, and I can speak about ESPN and Disney," Smith said on his own