The Cleveland Browns quarterback has had difficulty avoiding nepotism allegations in recent years. The past few months have only added to the accusations that he is only successful because of his father, Deion Sanders. Notably, when Colorado opted to retire his jersey number in the spring, many fans did not think it was justified.
On Wednesday, the ESPY awards were held, with comedian Shane Gillis acting as the host. He took the opportunity to make a nepotism joke about Shedeur Sanders.
“Shedeur Sanders had his jersey number retired at Colorado this year. People are saying it’s because of nepotism because of his father, and it’s not, it’s because he went 13-12 over his career, and he almost won the Alamo Bowl. Definitely not nepotism, right?”
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This led to a big reaction from fans as they were left split over Gillis’s comments.
“No lies detected,” one fan wrote.
“This is bullsh*t,” one fan commented.
“I’m a Colorado fan and he’s not wrong lol,” one fan added.
Fans continued to react in the comments.
“He didn’t even voice an opinion just stated facts,” one fan wrote.
“Definitely shouldn’t have had his jersey retired, but dude does basically hold every single passing record there,” one fan commented.
“As a Colorado fan, he holds literally every single qb record at Colorado and revitalized a dead program. I’m good with it,” one fan added.
Shedeur Sanders’ Jersey Retirement Was Already Controversial Before Shane Gillis’s Joke
The story about Shedeur Sanders’ jersey retirement in Colorado was reawakened on Wednesday with Shane Gillis’s joke at the ESPYs. However, it was already a controversial moment that dominated headlines for a few weeks earlier this year.
Before the 2025 NFL draft, the Colorado Buffaloes made the decision to retire the jersey numbers of two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Most fans were on board with Hunter’s jersey retirement. He won the 2024 Heisman Trophy and had one of the most impressive seasons in recent memory. However, Sanders’ being included was controversial.
Many fans and even members of the media claimed that Sanders would not have had his jersey retired if Deion Sanders were not the team’s head coach. While it is impossible to verify that claim, it is not hard to understand why some fans believe this. While Sanders performed well in Colorado, he did not lead them to any championships.
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