Shedeur Sanders caught heat at the ESPY Awards as comedian Shane Gillis took a shot at his college football career.
The NFL rookie quarterback, who has dominated offseason conversation after his all-time draft slide, had his No. 2 jersey retired by the Colorado Buffaloes earlier this year.
His teammate Travis Hunter also had his No. 12 shirt retired before entering the pros as the second overall pick, and they are just the fifth and sixth players in the program’s 135-year history to receive that honor.
While an argument can certainly be made for Heisman Trophy-winning Hunter, many questioned the decision over Shedeur’s number.
Gillis, who also took aim at new college coach Bill Belichick at the ESPYs, joked that it’s nothing more than ‘nepotism’.
“Shedeur Sanders had his jersey number retired at Colorado this year, and people are saying it’s because of nepotism, because of his father, and it’s not,” the host said.
“It’s because he went 13-12 over his career, and he almost won the Alamo Bowl. Definitely not nepotism… right?”
Shedeur, of course, played his entire college career under his dad Deion, who is an NFL Hall of Famer.
The father and son duo were together at Jackson State for two seasons, where Sanders threw an impressive 70 touchdowns and led the Tigers to a 23-3 record as starter.
At Colorado, as Gillis mentioned, he only played 25 games, and finished with 64 TDs for the Buffaloes.
Sanders has since joined the Cleveland Browns as the 144th overall pick, where he is locked in a high-profile quarterback battle with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.
He will begin training camp in the coming days, having already made an impression in practice last month.
Some NFL insiders have tipped him to take the starting role in the 2025 season, while others believe veteran Flacco is nailed-on to lead the Browns this season.
Sanders has recently proved he’s up for the challenge, and has been putting in the work with late-night solo sessions ahead of linking up with his teammates.
While he will be hoping to further establish himself with first-team reps on the Browns practice field, he has already made a positive impression in the Cleveland community.
The rookie quarterback this week organized a charity drive a local area impacted by a tragic fire at an apartment block in the Garden Valley neighborhood.
According to local reports, on June 23, an explosion and fire broke out at the Rainbow Terrace complex and more than 60 firefighters from 22 surrounding areas battled the flames for hours.
Around 40 families were displaced and five people were hospitalized, while one man died from burn injuries after he rushed back into a burning apartment to rescue his stepchildren.
In response to the tragedy, Sanders organized an event called the Garden Valley Fun Fest, which featured food trucks, inflatable bounce houses, games, and other activities for the local community.
He said he felt obliged to do more than just send money to those affected by the fire.
“When everything transpired, I was out of town, so I was like, ‘Nah, the first thing I do when I get back is definitely come to the community,'” he said.
“I can tell everybody’s vibe out here is down to earth.
“Sending money and stuff, that’s easy. But you have to actually go out there and be in the flesh. I feel like that’s more impactful.”
“He’s becoming easier and easier to root for,” posted one fan.
“My QB1,” added another.
“Say what you want he’s one of the good ones,” a third added.
“This guy was raised right,” a fourth commented.
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