Shedeur Sanders’ preseason NFL debut has been the talk of the town. Several notable people took to social media to congratulate the Browns QB on a new beginning. Dawn Staley was one of those people, but she got called out for switching sides.
Staley was very happy to see Sanders getting the starting quarterback nod in his first NFL game against the Panthers. She wrote:
“Super happy for @ShedeurSanders! You can try to break a young fella’s spirit but you can’t touch his talent! Do the damn thing Shedeur!!!”
Super happy for @ShedeurSanders! You can try to break a young fella’s spirit but you can’t touch his talent! Do the damn thing Shedeur!!!
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) August 9, 2025
Some fans couldn’t stomach her rooting for Sanders, who plays for Cleveland. A fan pointed out that she was switching up on her home team. The fan might’ve been hinting at the North Carolina connection, as Staley played for the Charlotte Sting.
But that’s more of a stretch than an actual connection. The fan wrote:
“switching up on home town team bet.”
Staley quickly clapped back at the fan with a three-word message. She wrote:
“Huh? Stop it!”
Huh? Stop it! https://t.co/1FhNKe0TJF
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) August 9, 2025
Staley is from Philadelphia, and the team that she roots for is the Philadelphia Eagles. Regardless, this was more than a fan’s allegiance to their favorite team. Sanders was wronged in this year’s draft, and anyone who understood the meaning behind that was rooting for him. Staley, in this case, was no different.
Sanders was not pleased by his performance, but was glad to walk away with a win. After the game, he said:
“I got pockets of finding my rhythm and I got to get into that quicker, regardless of anything. But overall, I felt like me out there, and I couldn’t do it, of course, without the time. I couldn’t do it without the playcalling. I couldn’t do without anything.”
“Did I play up to par? No, I don’t feel like I did. But overall, the main goal was to win, and that’s honestly what we did.”
This is just the beginning for Sanders. He has the talent to excel when the regular season starts. For now, he has all the support he needs.
LeBron James congratulated Shedeur Sanders
LeBron James has had a longstanding relationship with Coach Prime. So, Sanders’ making his NFL debut was a personal win for James as well. The Lakers star took to X to congratulate the 23-year-old on his debut. He wrote:
“That young 🤴🏾 looking good out there! @ShedeurSanders Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high 🙌🏾🫡.”
That young 🤴🏾 looking good out there! @ShedeurSanders Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high 🙌🏾🫡
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 9, 2025
As someone who has been in the limelight for over two decades, James knows how the naysayers react to someone’s accomplishment. So, without wasting any time, he decided to keep them in check before they get a chance to downplay Sanders’ debut.
“And I don’t wanna hear that “It’s only preseason” bs. Cause if he was out there not going in y’all would be on his ass about it! So give credit and grace lames. 🤷🏾♂️”
And I don’t wanna hear that “It’s only preseason” bs. Cause if he was out there not going in y’all would be on his ass about it! So give credit and grace lames. 🤷🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 9, 2025
After a difficult few months related to his draft mishap and father’s illness, the moment means more to the Sanders family than people realize. More importantly, it’s a stepping stone for Sanders to fully develop himself as an NFL-level quarterback in the coming years.
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