With the 2025 NFL Draft approaching, Shilo Sanders is making headlines—not for his performance, but for the media narratives surrounding him. Case in point: Shilo’s exclusion from the NFL’s list of 329 Combine invitees has fueled a wave of criticism, with many questioning his draft stock. However, Shannon Sharpe and Eagles superfan Gillie Da King believe the negativity isn’t just about Shilo—it’s a targeted attack on his father, Deion Sanders.
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In the latest episode of Club Shay Shay, Gillie highlighted a blatant example of the forced negativity against Shilo Sanders by referring to the media’s portrayal of the recently conducted East-West Shrine Bowl game.
For those out of the loop, Shilo’s shaky practice sessions were one of the main talking points leading up to the event. Several media outlets, in particular, focused on the Buffs safety’s struggles in one-on-ones against WRs, where Sanders was seen having difficulty containing the pace and trickery of his offensive counterparts.
And, as expected, many media reports gained traction on social media, with some out-of-context Shilo Sanders practice clips going viral, showing him in a bad light.
That said, when the day came to perform, Sanders looked anything but shaky as he racked up six total tackles and one pass deflection. For Gillie, these events sum up the media bias against the Sanders clan—silent when they do well, yet quick to spread hate for even the smallest of mistakes.
“You didn’t see nothing about any other player come out of the Shrine Game: ‘Shilo struggling.’ … F*ck what they’re talking about, and then when the actual game come, y’all have nothing negative to say except for he made plays.”
“@ShiloSanders goes to the Shrine Game. You didn’t see nothing about any other player come out of the Shrine Game: ‘Shilo struggling.’ … F*ck what they’re talking about, and then when the actual game come, y’all have nothing negative to say except for he made plays.” -… pic.twitter.com/8D9dltfWpu
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) February 17, 2025
Sharpe, unsurprisingly, agreed with Gillie’s example. The Nightcap host went a step further by arguing that the negative press around Shilo Sanders has nothing to do with him. In fact, it’s just the naysayer’s way to undermine his successful father—Deion Sanders.
In Unc’s eyes, seeing star kids work hard in the public spotlight is the best opportunity for the media to hate on their parents. And considering how protective every parent is of their kid or kids, the LeBron and Deion Sanders of the world would publicly protect them, which would again benefit the media business.
“This is what I told Prime—As a bro, I don’t believe people are hating on your kids, they are hating you. This is the opportunity for them, so they might not miss it. This is about you because we are protective of our kids. They ain’t got nothing against kids…”
Being privileged comes with its own set of challenges, the biggest being the constant need to prove yourself—something Shilo and Bronny are learning the hard way.
That said, there’s no point in complaining about the Buffs’ safety, as he hasn’t had the standout season that Shedeur has to warrant complaints about the media. Luckily for him, with Pro Day opportunities ahead, Shilo can silence his doubters on the field—where it truly matters.
