Leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, many thought Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders would wind up as a first-round pick. With teams like the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and Pittsburgh Steelers all searching for potential future franchise quarterbacks, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Sanders would wind up as a first-round pick before the first night was done.
Shockingly, Sanders wasn’t selected on the first day, nor was he drafted on Day 2. Amazingly, Sanders didn’t learn which NFL team he’d be joining until Day 3, when the Cleveland Browns ended his freefall by trading up to select Deion Sanders’ son with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round.
Yet, Sanders didn’t land in Cleveland without controversy. Some are demanding answers for why a player who reportedly had a second-round grade on many draft boards wasn’t taken anywhere near the first 64 picks.
In fact, one anonymous, distraught Colorado fan is now suing the NFL, seeking $100 million in damages for the “emotional distress” he suffered while having to witness Sanders fall well past his projected draft slot.
The lawsuit includes that the plaintiff attended Sanders’ first game against the TCU Horned Frogs on September 2, 2023, where he witnessed first-hand the “exceptional talent and potential” as a quarterback. Plus, he “regularly consumes media content related to Sanders.”
However, as the lawsuit claims, there were reports of leaked statements suggesting Sanders “tanked interviews, wasn’t prepared, and was too cocky.” The plaintiff believes all these reports led to a “narrative that has unjustly harmed Sanders’ reputation and even potential as a player.”
Ultimately, the plaintiff alleges that “these slanderous statements reflect biases that influenced the NFL’s decision-making process, causing emotional distress and trauma to the plaintiff as a fan and consumer.”
As if Sanders’ NFL career didn’t start interestingly enough, now “John Doe” has turned the temperature up another notch.
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