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Virginia Giuffre, an outspoken survivor of the sex crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and a well-known accuser of Britain’s Prince Andrew, has died by suicide, her family said in a statement. In a heartfelt statement, her family confirmed Virginia died on her farm in Western Australia. Emergency services were called to her home near the city of Perth on Friday night and found her unresponsive, local police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts at first aid. Her death is not being treated as suspicious, authorities have said.

Her family described their deep sadness, saying that Virginia had become “a victim of suicide” after suffering from a lifetime of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. They wrote that she was the fiercest warrior in the war against sexual abuse, a force of hope and light to survivors around the globe. But, the family added, the deep cost of what she had gone through ultimately became too great for her to bear.

Virginia Giuffre had become an international symbol of courage for standing up to the horrors of which she’d been victimized at the hands of Epstein and others. The mother of three, was one of the first to publicly claim that Epstein had trafficked her for sex when she was a teenager. Her accusations targeted Prince Andrew in particular, asserting that Epstein coerced her to have sex with the British royal when she was only 17, a time when she was under the age of consent in the U.S. She also claimed that Prince Andrew knew she was a minor at the time. Prince Andrew has always vehemently denied the allegations.

Giuffre’s allegations only stoked the flames of intrigue surrounding Epstein’s criminal enterprise and his powerful associates. Epstein was charged in July 2019 with sex trafficking of minors, to which he pleaded not guilty. But a month later, Epstein was discovered dead in a suicide in a jail cell in New York City, sparking a fury of public outrage and conspiracy theories about his death.

Epstein’s crimes date back years. From 2002 to 2005, he was accused of running a ring of underage girls he sexually abused at his homes in New York and Florida. Before the 2019 charges, Epstein had previous problems with justice in 2008 when he pleaded guilty to lesser state prostitution charges in a deal involving a 14-year-old girl. The resulting plea deal — which was widely denounced as overly lenient — allowed him to spend just 13 months in a county jail with extensive work release privileges.

Legal wrangling by Virginia Giuffre’s lawyers laid bare even more about the depth of Epstein’s network and the extent to which he used his vast wealth to escape culpability. A settlement agreement from 2009 that was unsealed in 2022 appeared to show that Epstein had paid Giuffre $500,000 to settle suit without admitting to having done anything wrong.

Allegations of Giuffre were not limited to Epstein alone, but to other powerful men as well. Her lawsuit against Prince Andrew, which she filed in 2021, produced a public scandal. While Prince Andrew denied all claims, he quietly settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount outside of the court in earlt 2022. The settlement was not an admission of guilt, but it dealt a crushing blow to his public standing and prompted him to step back from royal duties.

Outside of Epstein, the public has also been intrigued by the case against Ghislaine Maxwell, his longtime associate. Maxwell was arrested in 2020 and accused of aiding Epstein’s alleged abuse of girls. She was found guilty in 2021 of multiple federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Virginia Giuffre, who was not one of the women who testified against Maxwell, was among a number of Epstein accusers whose advocacy and public presence helped fuel what became a public reckoning with those who had enabled Epstein’s crimes.

Giuffre dedicated her life to shining a light on sex trafficking and abuse, and used her voice to fight for survivors around the globe. She became an inspiring and powerful voice for survivors, however, despite experiencing tremendous personal attacks and public criticism, speaking candidly about her ordeals.

Her heartbreaking death is another sad reminder of the devastating legacy of sexual abuse and ongoing difficulties many survivors endure. We sit here in our grief 12 days post-shooting and already injustices being done, and we have a gunman behind bars,” Bryan said, adding that we must also support the grieving the long-term care, and community support. Virginia Giuffre’s story, her courage and her pursuit of justice will never be erased.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide or any other mental health crisis, assistance is available. In the United States, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Outside the US, the International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide provide resources and crisis support for those in need.

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Shannon Sharpe is under fire in 2025, and it has nothing to do with his NFL career or infectious sportscasting personality. Two unconnected controversies have combined to catapult him into the public eye in a manner few ever would have imagined. On one front he has gone viral for saying something brash and provocative about the adult content creator Sky Bri on his podcast. On the other, he’s contending with a $50 million civil lawsuit over serious allegations of sexual misconduct. All this has made for headlines, online arguments and reputational hit jobs galore.

The first incident occurred during a recent episode of Nightcap, Sharpe’s podcast that he co-hosts with former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. When chatting about OnlyFans personality Sky Bri, Sharpe said something that took off and went viral. “She played on her back!” he said of her adult film work. The clip went viral on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, where it was viewed millions of times. The internet responded with a combination of surprise, humor and anger. Some called Sharpe out for being disrespectful to sex workers and to those with such illnesses, while others pointed to the comment as part of Sharpe’s unfiltered act.

The backlash then led to a surge of response from pop culture commentators and influencers. There was widespread skepticism that Sharpe’s developing online personality had ventured too far from the credibility he accrued as a sports commentator. Famed for his pithy punditry and larger-than-life charisma, Sharpe is now being seen by some as edging ever closer to the territory of internet shock jock in saleable search for clicks. Commentators like DJ Akademiks and Kevin “No Chill” Morris, a YouTube critic, have suggested that Sharpe is stuck between the reality that made him and the circus of new media.

While social media users were busy debating the Sky Bri moment, a much more serious issue emerged. “Jane Doe,” a woman claiming to reside in California, sued Sharpe for sexual assault, battery, false imprisonment, and emotional distress. The lawsuit, which was submitted by high-profile attorney Tony Buzbee – who also represented clients in several high-profile sexual misconduct cases, demands more than 50 million dollars in compensation. Through his lawyer Lanny Davis, Sharpe unequivocally denied the claims, arguing that everything that transpired was consensual, and the meeting involved complicated role-play.

However, in a surprising turn of events, it was revealed that two weeks before filing the lawsuit, Jane Doe was offered a 10 million settlement, which she turned down: Sharpe plans to also file a lawsuit for defamation, arguing that this exchange was orchestrated to undermine his credibility. Upon filing the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s legal team released audio material, where Sharpe is heard yelling aggressively and threateningly. Davis claims that this material is removed from context and was recorded during an eventful role-play without consent.

“Labeling it assault is inaccurate, unethical, and perverse,” the lawyer said. This scandal is far from the first one involving Sharpe’s personal affairs. In the second half of 2024, a pornographic live video appeared on his personal Instagram account by accident. The clip with an explicit audio of Sharpe having intimate relations was viewed by tens of thousands of people before being removed. At that time, Sharpe claimed that his account was hacked. However, he later confessed on his podcast that it was him accidentally pressing the live button.

The series of controversies has raised concern at ESPN, where Sharpe currently serves as co-host of First Take. Formal action has not yet been taken, but insiders believe network executives are closely watching the situation. Sharpe, with his high-profile platform and millions of viewers, finds his behavior under the microscope in a way it never has been.

As these events unfold, the public gets to see how Sharpe not only is traveling through a period that could redefine his post-football legacy, but also begins to come to full understanding of Grantham and the life he helped save. Will his unvarnished, sometimes incendiary, delivery continue to resonate with audiences or will the crushing reality of legal woes and blowback shift the course of his media career? Whether this is a storm that passes over or the beginning of a longer unraveling, one thing is for sure: Shannon Sharpe is one of the most divisive sports and entertainment characters of Twentieth Year of The Millennium.

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Jimmy Butler III and Stephen Curry responded by trying to shoot the Golden State Warriors into the playoffs, and they succeeded on Tuesday night, beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 121-116, and earning the seventh seed in the long and winding Western Conference postseason bracketing. The victory, part of the N.B.A. play-in tournament, means the Warriors will face the Houston Rockets in a best-of-seven first-round series beginning Sunday.

Butler had a monster game with 38 points, seven rebounds and six assists. A player with a reputation for clutch performances in high stakes games, “Playoff Jimmy” lived up to his moniker, making impactful plays at both ends of the floor. His energy helped relieve some pressure on Curry, who also had a huge night, scoring 37 points. Curry hit crucial shots late, including a baseline three-pointer with under two minutes to play, and another from the left wing with one minute remaining. He then added two important free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

The Grizzlies had one last opportunity to tie the game, but Santi Aldama failed to get the ball inbounds in time, resulting in a five-second violation that ended Memphis’s chances. Desmond Bane scored 30 points for Memphis, while Ja Morant added 22. The Grizzlies advance to face the winner of the Mavericks-Kings matchup for the final West playoff spot.

But the Golden State victory was not buoyed merely by star power, but solid team play. Butler turned in one of his best games since joining the Warriors at the trade deadline, making 12 of 20 shots and 12 of 18 free throws. It was his second straight game with 30 or more points and his highest output with the team. His aggressive play, particularly in important stretches, kept the Warriors in control even as Memphis mounted multiple runs.

Butler brought it back Golden State’s way with a steal and a dunk as Memphis started to hit its stride in the third quarter. Morant gave the Grizzlies a scare when he rolled his right ankle after stepping on Buddy Hield’s foot. In spite of the injury, he converted a three-point play that cut Memphis to within one point for a spell. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 18 points, while Zach Edey had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Edey hit two clutch free throws with 14.3 seconds left, but that wasn’t enough to change the course of the game.

Curry had it worse than his 52-point explosion against the Grizzlies’ defense earlier in the month. He went 9-for-22 from the field while enduring ongoing defensive pressure, especially from Scotty Pippen Jr., who fouled out. Curry never lost his nerve and he also never wavered in the game fixture when it still counted. He also collected eight rebounds and added four assists.

The game included numerous strong opening quarter by the Warriors highlighted by a run aided and abetted by Butler. He participated in four consecutive scoring plays, beginning with an assist to Gary Payton II for a backdoor dunk, followed by an alley-oop to Quinten Post for a three, and then a three-point basket and a traditional three-point play. Butler did not appear to be dealing with pain from the quadriceps injury he suffered in the Warriors’ previous game against the Clippers.

This victory meant that Golden State, a team that previously had never won a series in the play-in tournament before Tuesday, would take on the Memphis Grizzlies in an elimination game for the eighth and final playoff spot. Their seasons came to an end in both 2021 and 2024 during play-in games, including a gut-wrenching overtime defeat by Memphis at Chase Center in 2021. That history provided extra motivation for some veterans like Curry and Draymond Green, who were eager to not experience an early exit again.

The Warriors had wanted to avoid the play-in tournament entirely but that idea went out the window when they dropped their last regular-season game in overtime to the Clippers. That loss was their third at home in the final week of the season, and it also left their playoff path uncertain. But with this victory, they’ve secured their spot and now turn their attention to the coming series against Houston.

Golden State’s play indicates they are peaking at the right time. With Butler playing as well as he is next to Curry, they have a real dynamic duo to ride into the playoffs. Their resilience, chemistry and collective playoff experience could make them a dangerous foe for any team in the West.