Shedeur Sanders knows who is ‘99 percent’ to blame for online hate around him

Dislike father, dislike son.

The mystery of how and why quarterback Shedeur Sanders fell to the Browns in the fifth round of the NFL draft might never be completely solved, but Sanders has his own idea as to why he seems to have so many critics before throwing his first pro pass.

It’s not because he is brash or arrogant.

It’s because his father — Hall of Famer turned NFL Network analyst turned Colorado football coach Deion Sanders — was those things even as he backed it up as arguably the greatest cornerback of all-time.

And that’s why Shedeur prefers to be around kids who form their own opinions on him and don’t remember his father.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) heads off the field after the first day of NFL rookie minicamp at the Browns training facility on Friday, May 9, 2025. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Ninety-nine percent of hatred (directed at me) is toward Pops,” Sanders said recently while talking to children at an Ohio school, according to Cleveland.com. “And then I’m just his son. … But (the kids) didn’t grow up in an era to where they watched him play … It‘s just the older generation that does it to me rather than the younger people. Because when I come in person, there’s no negativity I see. But it‘s all over online.”

The Giants were the team that spent the most pre-draft time with Sanders. Members of the front office deemed him worthy of a first-round pick, but general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll pivoted to Jaxson Dart in the days leading up to the draft.

Deion Sanders said that there were a lot of lies spread about his son before the draft that led to his fall.

Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes walks on the field during the Black and Gold Spring Game at Folsom Field on April 19, 2025 in Boulder, Colorado. Getty Images for ONIT

Shedeur is competing with Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel in Browns camp. But he is planning to be visible in the Cleveland community.

“That’s why I say I like going [to schools] in person and actually meeting [kids],” Sanders said. “And any questions they have, I say, ‘Just ask me whatever question you want. Pick any question. No filter, no anything.’ That’s what they say. And then I just answer whatever they need me to answer.”