The 2025 NFL Draft saw its share of surprises, and one of the more notable storylines was the slide of former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who eventually landed with the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.
While Sanders himself navigated the waiting process, it appears one particularly fervent fan took the perceived injustice to heart. In a rather unusual turn of events, an anonymous individual has reportedly filed a $100 million lawsuit against the NFL, citing emotional distress allegedly caused by Sanders’ prolonged wait to be drafted.
RJ Young Discusses Fan’s Lawsuit Against NFL for Shedeur Sanders’ Slide
Sanders wasn’t the only one affected by his wait to end up with the Browns. An anonymous fan has reportedly sued the NFL for $100 million for “the harm caused to the Plaintiff and the impact of the NFL’s actions on his emotional well being” because of Sanders’ slide in April’s 2025 NFL Draft, court documents of the lawsuit read.
FOX Sports analyst RJ Young gave the rundown of the situation adjacent to the former Colorado passer through spurts of laughter.
“At first, when you read the headline, you might skip over the part where it says, ‘A fan is suing the NFL on behalf of the pain and suffering that he incurred watching this happen to Shedeur Sanders,'” Young said on Tuesday, May 6 on “The Number One College Football Show with RJ Young.”
“I’m telling you, man, America’s pastime is not baseball, it’s not football, it is suing people. You can sue someone for almost anything.
“What is this? You know what I’m saying? The NFL’s like, ‘Do I really gotta give this my time, Georgia? I got so much other stuff to get done here. You know what I mean? I got an NFL Draft to plan for in Washington, [D.C. in] 2027, trying to have [President Donald] Trump on. … I have them trying to screw up my great minor league, and now I got to deal with this fool after we just got done dealing with Shedeur Sanders and some other fools.”
Young’s stance on the fan’s choice wasn’t hard to discern. Sanders was thought to possibly be a first-round selection before being passed on not just in the top five and top 10 but by the QB-needy Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 overall. He had to wait two days to figure out where his professional destination would be.
“The man wrote down, in straight face, ‘And to have all the NFL owners collude and not draft him, it was mentally frustrating and debilitating,'” Young said. “‘For them to believe that they can just do that, and there’s no recourse, it has to stop.'”
Sanders joins a signal-caller room that also includes veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Deshaun Watson. Fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel will also compete for the starting job.
“Shedeur also got out here to wear No. 12, assuming [No.] 2 was just not something he wanted to get a hold of — maybe it’s the Johnny Manziel vibes,” Young said. “But people are already trying to say he’s trying to be like Tom Brady. Of course, you’re trying to be like Tom Brady. What quarterback in the world ain’t trying to be like Tom Brady? … That’s like saying ‘You’re trying to be like [Michael] Jordan’ when you hooping.”
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
