SI

Fan Suing NFL for Ridiculous Amount of Money Over Shedeur Sanders’s Draft Fall

Good luck with that.

Mike Kadlick

Sanders lost a lot of money from his draft slide.
Sanders lost a lot of money from his draft slide. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Shedeur Sanders had a pretty brutal draft weekend.

After getting a prank call telling him that he'd been drafted by the New Orleans Saints with the ninth overall pick, the quarterback fell all the way to the fifth round before ultimately being taken by the Cleveland Browns. Once a near-consensus first-round pick, Sanders's slide to Day 3 will cost him nearly $40 million over the course of his rookie contract.

While certainly a bummer for Sanders, a fan of his college team seems to be truly taking his draft drop to heart. As referenced in a post from RedditCFB on X (formerly Twitter), it appears that an anonymous Colorado fan by the name of John Doe is suing the NFL for $100 million (!) due to "emotional distress" caused by his fall to Round 5.

Here's a look:

In the complaint, which you can read in full here, the fan is also asking for the following:

  • A retraction of the slanderous statements made about Shedeur Sanders, along with an apology for any harm caused to his reputation.
  • Implementation of fairer practices in the drafting process to ensure that talented players are recognized and given opportunities based on merit.
  • Any additional remedies the Court deems appropriate, including compensatory damages.

Good luck with that.

Despite putting up elite passing numbers during his time at Colorado and winning the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2024, Sanders was the sixth quarterback taken off the board in this year's draft. Many have suggested that it didn't have as much to do with his talent as it did with his demeanor off the field.

The rookie was assigned his jersey number in Cleveland on Monday, and will be given the opportunity to compete with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and fellow draftee Dillion Gabriel for the starting job while Deshaun Watson recovers from Achilles surgery.

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Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

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