Shedeur Sanders Says Deion Is Cause of Most of 'Hatred' Toward Him

It's clear that Sanders wants to differentiate himself from his father.

Shedeur Sanders and Deion Sanders attend the NFL Honors show in 2025. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders has been a hot topic for months now, especially during the NFL draft when he shockingly fell to the fifth round.

Sanders knows about the "hatred" towards him that people express online, but he acknowledges that most of it comes from an older generation of people who watched his dad Deion Sanders play in the NFL. He thinks they have a predisposition toward him because of his father.

"Ninety-nine percent of hatred is towards Pops," Sanders told reporters on Saturday during the Cleveland Browns' rookie minicamp. "I'm just his son, so it really just comes from that and I told him that, too. ... It's the older generation that do it to me rather than the younger people because when I come in person, there's no negativity I see but it's all over online."

Sanders admitted this is one of the reasons why he likes to meet with younger generations and have them get to know him since those younger people might not have an assumption of him because of his dad. The Browns rookie quarterback has been speaking at local Cleveland schools since joining the team just a few weeks ago.

It's clear that Sanders wants to differentiate himself from his father, the Pro Football Hall of Famer turned college football coach. His NFL experience will mark the first time his dad hasn't played a big hand in his football career as the coach led him at Jackson State and Colorado before he was drafted. Sanders has already hushed critics about concerns of him playing in the NFL without his dad. Regardless, he'll have a lot to prove during his rookie year.

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