Shedeur Sanders is now a member of the Cleveland Browns and the opportunity exists to look forward as he tries to earn his way to the top of a crowded and confusing quarterback ladder. But, the looking back continues as the rookie addressed his precipitous NFL draft fall over the weekend, attributing "99 percent" of that to critics of his father, Colorado head coach and former NFL/MLB star Deion Sanders. There's no way to accurately assess that claim, but Colin Cowherd believes it to be accurate.
"Quarterback dad has become pageant mom," Cowherd said on his show. "Your heart is in the right place, you have good intent. You are hurting your sons. Shedeur's got it right."
"Dads, stop talking. Nobody cares."@ColinCowherd criticizes Deion Sanders and other parents who meddle in their kids' athletic careers. pic.twitter.com/2Y1rkneKnh
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 27, 2025
"They're not going have dads who tell them where their son's going to play," Cowherd said of NFL franchises. Get out in the sun and get burned. Deion was in the sun. Deion spent too much on time on television talking. Dads, stop talking. Nobody cares."
There may be some validity here. Deion is a unique case and isn't for everyone. If Shedeur's last name was Smith or Jones and his father was an accountant, there wouldn't have been the same media circus. Yet suggesting Prime Time stay out of the sun and in the shade is sort of laughable. Good luck with having that advice followed. It's simply not going to happen.
There's also something rich about someone who talks on television for 15 hours a week saying someone else spent too much time on television talking.
It's worth considering how player empowerment has also meant more parent empowerment, but Deion Sanders is essentially without parallel as a sports dad, so it's unclear how much his experience speaks for all the other dads out there.
Still, it has been over a month and Shedeur's draft slide is still a discussion point. He's having to go online and dismiss rumors about his purchases. The surrounding buzz and its media arm will not lessen, it will just get professionalized.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Colin Cowherd Has Message For 'Quarterback Dads' After Shedeur Sanders's Draft Fall.
