Shannon Sharpe takes leave from CBS due to restraining order: See documents here

Shannon Sharpe.

Shannon Sharpe has long been a favorite of Broncos fans -- a former record-setting tight end turned broadcaster who Denverites have long felt deserves to be in the NFL Hall of Fame.

But his road to Canton may have gotten longer, what with him taking a temporary leave from CBS after a restraining order alleging forced sex and threats was made public.

The restraining-order story was broken on the blog SPORTSbyBROOKS, which obtained the following documents from Fulton County court in the Atlanta area:

As seen in the highlighted section at the bottom of the first page above, the document, filed by a woman named Michele Bundy, maintains that Sharpe "forced [plaintiff] to have sex with him; he repeatedly calls and threatens her life; [suspect] places [plaintiff] under surveillance and calls to say he is watching."

Other seemingly unflattering reports about Sharpe and women have popped up now and again over the years. A February 7, 1997 Rocky Mountain News piece that's no longer online noted:

This newspaper recently reported that Broncos' tight end Shannon Sharpe was arrested for hitting his girlfriend. She also was charged with destruction after she broke some glasses.

Along these same lines, an August 2004 Associated Press article revealed that Sharpe had been charged with misdemeanor battery "for removing the mother of one of his children from his home." After sharing Sharpe's version of the story, shaped to seem benign, the piece includes this intriguing statement:

Evans is one of three women who have been in and out of Fulton County civil court with Sharpe since March 1994. The 10 court cases between Sharpe and the women include paternity and domestic matters.

This latest incident may not prove fatal to either Sharpe's CBS gig or his potential Hall of Fame membership -- unless even more nastiness comes out. He'd better hope the rest of the documents are sealed.