Zuniga’s Lawyer Calls It “Predatory Strength Play” — Here’s What That Means

Attorney Tony Buzbee just lobbed a fresh Molotov into the $50-million Shannon Sharpe lawsuit, telling reporters the case is about “a predatory strength play by a man who thought size equals consent.” That sound bite lit X on fire: 3.1 million views in five hours and a #StrengthPlay hashtag climbing to No. 4 in the U.S.

The nuance fans caught first? Buzbee dropped that line right after showing cropped photos of Sharpe bench-pressing 405 lbs, then slid in a text exchange where Zuniga writes “felt like you could crush me.” Critics say the visual-plus-quote combo is pure jury-bait; Sharpe’s camp clapped back on Instagram Stories, calling it “theatrics” and promising forensic experts will prove the texts are doctored. Sports-law Twitter is now arguing whether “predatory strength” could become a new civil-court buzz phrase the same way “stealthing” did in 2023.

Zoom out and the pattern looks rehearsed: accuse, leak, brand the behavior with a sticky phrase, let public opinion marinate, then leak again. If Buzbee’s tactic sticks, “predatory strength play” could follow Sharpe every time a commentator mentions his Hall-of-Fame bench numbers. But if Sharpe’s data team dissects those texts and timestamps like the last audio leak, the label might boomerang back on Zuniga’s side as courtroom theatrics gone stale. Either way, the next evidence drop will decide whether this new buzz phrase lives or dies in the timeline.