Cleveland Browns fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders had an impressive NFL debut in a 30-10 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. After the game, he capped off the win by confronting a Cleveland beat reporter, Tony Grossi, who had criticized him. Face-to-face.
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“Tony, I be hoping [now] you have something positive to say about me,” Sanders said. “You only say negative stuff about me. And I’m like, ‘I ain’t do nothing to you.'”
Reading this quote might make it seem like there was some tension between the rookie QB and the Cleveland-based reporter, but that wasn’t the case at all. The two shared a laugh and went their separate ways down the hallway. And Chad Johnson was all for how it played out.
On an episode of Nightcap, Johnson reacted to the clip of Shedeur confronting Grossi and said he was a fan of it. He pointed out that these situations don’t always end this way. More often than not, the athlete ends up challenging the reporter, so in his book, it was applause-worthy.
“That’s dope Unc, I like it. Because most interactions like that … that’s not how they go,” Johnson said.
“When it comes to a beat reporter that’s been a staffer for that long as a Cleveland Browns beat reporter, most of the time, the player challenges him. Because you never say anything positive… And I can just imagine. I haven’t even read his articles. If the rest of the world has been somewhat negative toward Shedeur, I can’t imagine what the person that’s in house [has been saying].”
The former Bengal added that it’s all part of Grossi’s job, since the negatives are what attract views. Maybe Shedeur gets that too, which is why he handled the confrontation with a smile … and Johnson loved it.
“So, the fact that they were able to do it with a smile, with class, with grace, [speaks volumes],” continued the former wideout.
Unc & Ocho react to Shedeur Sanders calling out Cleveland sports reporter Tony Grossi@ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @ShayShayMedia_ pic.twitter.com/LlmsgO7xzW
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) August 10, 2025
We are with Johnson on this one. The way Shedeur has carried himself under the spotlight after that insane draft slide is impressive, and this exchange with Grossi only adds to it. This is the same spotlight that saw QBs like Baker Mayfield struggle.
And Shedeur could have given it to Grossi after that preseason dominance. Having played nearly three quarters of that game, he finished 14 of 23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
It will only get better for the rookie, hopefully, with head coach Kevin Stefanski saying Shedeur will get “a ton of reps next week” when Cleveland faces the Philadelphia Eagles.
Still, Shedeur has to learn to embrace the negative attention because he’s currently the fourth QB on the depth chart. And as Johnson put it, he might already be the biggest thing in Cleveland since LeBron James. Which means every news cycle and headline could have his name in it just for the sake of it.
