“I’m Calling Out His Son Shedeur Sanders”: Stephen A. Smith Rips Deion Sanders’ Son For Merch Promotion At Halftime Against Stanford

Stephen A. Smith lauds Deion Sanders’ son Shedeur for his competitiveness and skill. However, he thinks the 21-year-old was strangled in early stardom. Smith minced no words as he ripped Shedeur after the Colorado QB’s IG account promoted merchandise during the halftime against Stanford Cardinal with a comfortable 29-point lead.

The CU went on to lose the game against the Cardinals, and it was certainly a bad look on Coach Prime. Furthermore, this turned out to be even worse for Shedeur after promoting merch. Smith made it a point to put forward his thoughts on Monday’s episode of First Take. 

Stephen A. Smith’s Critical Take on Shedeur Sanders 

Stephen A. Smith rarely shies away from putting forward his opinions. In the latest episode of ESPN First Take, Smith presented his views on Shedeur Sanders’ divided attention as he took to IG for promotion in halftime. 

“The players got caught up in the shine their coach generated, and I’m calling out his son Shedeur Sanders, who I love, and I think has star written all over him,” Smith said Monday.

Whilst the football community is appreciative of NIL deals and merchandise promotions from the young talents, Smith had a point, which was to keep the game at the highest priority.

“But whether it was you, or by accident and it was somebody on your social media team, you cannot have something being posted at halftime of a damn game,” he added.

He not only seemed disheartened by their loss but also highly critical of their play and the stars trying to replicate their coach in all aspects.

“Show up, stand up, because your daddy and to the players on the squad, your coach, as much swag and bravado as he had, he was the best on the planet. Week-in and week-out you knew Deion Sanders was the best probably ever. Y’all aren’t on that level. Stop acting like it!”

It wasn’t just Smith who was critical of the team’s performance, but it was also Sanders who cautioned him in the locker room. He made an attempt to encourage the Colorado Buffaloes team to give their everything to the game.

Sanders Makes Headlines Uploading Merch Link Mid-Game

Shedeur Sanders made the headlines in a much negative light, as his IG account threw merchandise shop links at halftime. These links were associated with his merchandise website ‘SS2Legendary.com’, promoting CU and his own products.

While Shedeur’s proactive promotion of the shop links was perceived negatively, his lost attention added fuel to the fire. In fact, in the post-game conference after this massive loss, a reporter asked about his father and coach Deion Sanders’ advice to the team at halftime. Being unaware of his coach’s words, the Buffaloes QB said that he was in a different state of mind. Answering the reporter’s question, Shedeur said,

“I’m not gonna lie. I don’t even remember because I was just so locked in the game. I got just a different frame when you play four quarters.”

The Colorado Buffaloes are set to face the UCLA Bruins in one of the most anticipated games of the season after their bye week. However, with the general consensus running against the Buffaloes, it might be a hard fight for them. What is your take on it?