Shedeur Sanders clashed with a journalist after his impressive preseason debut Friday night, with the Cleveland Browns quarterback far from impressed at criticism surrounding his NFL prospects.
The moment came after months of pointed criticism aimed at the 23-year-old, whose dramatic slide in the April draft took him from a projected high pick to the fifth round.
The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and current University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, echoed his father’s traditionally confident personality when he confronted the Cleveland sportswriter and radio host, Tony Grossi.
“Tony, I be hoping you have something positive to say about me,” Sanders told Grossi. “You only say negative stuff about me. And I’m like, ‘I ain’t do nothing to you.'”
He added, “I ain’t hear nothing positive you’ve ever said,” before concluding, “What I do to you Tony?”
Shedeur had started for the Browns against the Carolina Panthers due to multiple injuries in the quarterback room and he completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
His effort was instrumental as he led three scoring drives as Cleveland secured a 30-10 victory. Ironically, Grossi had described Sanders’ performance as “outstanding.”
His response shows that whilst his confident persona has publicly allowed him to shrug off the pressure and expectation following the 2025 NFL Draft has got under his skin as he fires back at reporters.
His entrance into the professional league comes after a strong collegiate career with the Colorado Buffaloes as he passed for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2024/25, allowing just 10 interceptions.
So, his slide to the fifth round became one of the major talking points of draft weekend, with analysts citing a mix of weaknesses in his game as well as his commitment and attitude as problems.
Sanders excels as he lands Browns shot
And whilst he was not expected to be the starter on Friday, August 8 he took the chance with both hands once Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel were ruled out via injury as Kevin Stefanski chose not to risk the veteran Joe Flacco.
But in just under three full quarters of play, he demonstrated composure in the pocket, mobility on rollouts, and the ability to deliver accurate throws under pressure.
His ability to move and scramble was particularly notable after he was sacked a record amount of times in 2023/24, something Nick Saban had dismissed as weaknesses in the offensive line over Sanders’ own talent.
“When I get out there it’s just doing what I’ve got to do,” Sanders said. “Everything else is not in my hands, so I don’t worry about it.
“I just don’t think that deep into everything because it’s nothing you’re going be able to control. So why put energy in something that you can’t control?”
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