Shedeur Sanders was a prominent absentee from Wednesday night’s ESPYs gala at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. He didn’t do so out of spite or disinterest, but because he had more important matters to attend to in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback stayed in Cleveland to support the community members of Rainbow Terrace Apartments in Cleveland’s Garden Valley neighborhood. The neighborhood was hit by a fire on June 23rd, when an explosion rocked the apartment complex. The fire took hours to control, and over 40 families were displaced. Five individuals were hospitalized, and there was one fatality.
“When everything transpired, I was out of town, so I was like, ‘Nah, the first thing I do when I get back is definitely come to the community,”‘ Sanders told News 5 Cleveland. “This is just off an Instagram DM. I didn’t really know about the situation; someone told me. I was like ‘Dang that’s crazy,’ and I just wanted a day for everybody to get out here and have some type of enjoyment, excitement, bring just the family atmosphere back.”
Sanders heard about the tragedy online and decided to get involved. He hosted and organized “The Garden Valley Fun Fest”, a festival aimed at easing tension in the community. The event had free food, amenities, and live music for the residents of the embattled community.
Shedeur Sanders giving back to the Cleveland Community ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qximJWO3tb
— We Coming 🦬 (@SkoBuffsGoBuffs) July 16, 2025
Cleveland boxer Montana Love and Browns defensive end Mike Hall Jr. also attended the event. Hall and Sanders organized a game of pick-up football for the kids of the community.
Shedeur Sanders is not as ready to start as his teammate, Dillon Gabriel
It’s no secret that Shedeur Sanders is currently in one of the most crowded quarterback rooms in the NFL. Besides him, the Cleveland Browns also drafted Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, and also got Joe Flacco from free agency. And let’s not forget that DeShaun Watson is still on the roster.
However, Shedeur Sanders’ direct competitor is fellow 2025 draftee Dillon Gabriel. Reports now out of the Browns’ training camp are that Gabriel is seen as more ready to start in the NFL than Sanders.
Reporter Pete Smith of “The Orange and Brown Report” recently wrote the following based on his sources:
“Gabriel throws the ball about as well as any other quarterback in this draft class. While that specific is very important, it’s how he processes, which doesn’t lead to mistakes. He is consistent, experienced, and a leader from all accounts.”
“(Gabriel), due to his experience, playing in a few different offensive systems that enabled him to do more mentally as well as physically, seeing much more quality looks defensively, and having played against better competition readied him more than (Sanders).”
This can be seen as a surprising ending for a player who was once considered a potential first overall pick of the draft. Nonetheless, since he was picked down in the fifth round, Sanders must have known that it would take the long road for him to become a starter in the NFL.
If there’s an upside for him, it is that the likely starter for the Browns in 2025 is Super Bowl-champion Joe Flacco. That means that Sanders has at least a year to prove he’s ready to become a starter.
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