Browns Coach Tries to Dim Shedeur Sanders’ Skills, Only for an Unexpected Ally to Back Him Up, And It Wasn’t Dad
President Donald Trump wants the world to know that he is a big supporter of Shedeur Sanders after the rookie quarterback stepped up in his first regular-season NFL start.
Sanders, 23, led the Cleveland Browns to a 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. He threw for 209 yards with one 66-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Sampson.
The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders got the starting job on Nov. 23 after waiting in the wings behind fellow rookie QB Dillon Gabriel, who was placed in concussion protocol from a head injury he sustained in a game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Shedeur also had one interception and ended Sunday’s game with a traditional quarterback rating of 87.3. However, he made headlines across the sports world for his record-breaking NFL debut, snapping the 0-17 record for Browns quarterbacks’ first career starts dating back to 1995.
As a fifth-round draft pick, many football insiders and gridiron fans did not know what to expect from Shedeur once he got under center in a professional game for the Browns.
Shedeur being the 144th pick in the 2025 NFL draft came as a surprise to many NFL devotees, particularly because Deion touted that his son would be a top-five selection after coaching him in college at Jackson State and Colorado.
Trump, 79, was an outspoken backer of Shedeur amid the controversy over his slipping down the draft board in April. The president publicly blasted the NFL owners for picking five quarterbacks ahead of the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner, including the Browns taking Gabriel, 24, at 94th overall in the third round.
“What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID? Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on April 25.
He added, “Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck, Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!”
Trump returned to Truth Social on Nov. 24 after Shedeur’s breakout performance in Vegas to take credit for the NFL newcomer winning his first NFL game. The president declared, “Shedeur Sanders was GREAT. Wins first game, career start, as a pro (for Cleveland). Great Genes. I TOLD YOU SO!”
While Trump is often a lightning rod when it comes to politics, the Queens-bred billionaire earned some kudos for his shout-out to Shedeur. However, some of the responses to the right-wing politician were backhanded compliments.
“The only truth he has EVER told,” one Threads user stated in reaction to Trump’s favorable social media post about Coach Prime’s second-youngest child. Another Shedeur fan admitted, “Did not have me and Trump agreeing on something on my 2025 bingo card.”
In contrast, some posters were not buying Trump’s complimentary remarks. One person replied, “Narcissism 101. SMDH.” Another person warned, “Oh lord, he done curse the child.”
There were also comments about Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski’s apparent lack of trust in Shedeur being the starting QB for his squad. One critic of Stefanski wrote, “The fact the president praises you, and your own coach doesn’t… like what are we doing here.”
Stefanski, 43, found himself in the hot seat among many NFL fanatics after he refused to confirm whether Shedeur will remain the team’s starter for their Week 13 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I’m not going to get into that,” Stefanski said when asked about Shedeur potentially starting for the Browns on Nov. 30. “Obviously, proud of him and proud of this offense, and there are a ton of things to learn from, but I’m just going to worry about today.”
By the next day Stefanski would end the suspense, announcing Monday that Shedeur will be the starter this Sunday.
Footage of Stefanski in the locker room following Cleveland’s latest win also ignited online fury. The two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year only gave Shedeur tepid acknowledgment despite leading the Browns to only their third win of the season.
After recognizing several Browns players, Stefanski told the team and his fellow coaches in the locker room, “Another rookie making his first start, nice job, Shedeur.”
“They hate this man so much,” someone on Threads claimed about Stefanski seemingly snubbing Shedeur despite his first-year QB’s successful NFL start. A second post read, “Because he don’t like the kid. Poor excuse for a coach. Taste.”
Super Bowl champion-turned-media personality Shannon Sharpe took issue with Stefanski not doing more to acknowledge Shedeur in front of his teammates. Sharpe, 57, called out the coach on his “Nightcap” podcast.
“I understand Stefanski wants Dillon Gabriel, but you got to understand the guy now is the best for you and is going to give you the best opportunity to win. Because he is unafraid to push the ball down the field,” Sharpe said.
The former Denver Broncos tight end added, “This notion that this thing is even close, this notion that was just a ho-hum performance… And he does that on the road in a hostile environment, and all you got for him is that?”
Shedeur addressed his haters while speaking with the media following his first NFL victory on Sunday. The pro football scion proudly proclaimed, “A lot of people want to see me fail. It ain’t gonna happen. It ain’t gonna happen.”
As far as Trump, the president has had a long beef with the NFL, which included the ex-host of “The Apprentice” inflaming a national cultural war over then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem in 2016.
Washington Commanders fans recently let Trump know he was not welcome at their home game in Maryland by showering him with loud boos when his face appeared on the screen inside Northwest Stadium during the team’s home loss to the Detroit Lions on Nov. 9.
