Despite being the 144th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the national spotlight continues to follow Shedeur Sanders, no matter where he goes or how fast he may be going. The former Colorado Buffalo recently made the headlines after incurring $269 in fines and court fees for driving 91 mph in a 65 mph zone. In total, he received two speeding tickets.
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While some analysts have suggested that the traffic violation is indicative of an inflated ego or a tendency to make poor decisions, the former Fox Sports host, Skip Bayless, suggests that it should be nothing more than a teachable moment for the rookie.
During the latest installment of his self-titled YouTube show, Bayless explained that he, too, was on the receiving end of speeding tickets while “fighting for his professional life.” Nevertheless, he internalized the struggle and used it as fuel to land one of the first big breaks of his career, a job with the Miami Herald.
“I was horrified. I got two speeding tickets… I put hand-written signs all over my car saying “slow down.” I couldn’t afford to get another, what if I lost my license and I couldn’t drive? Horrified. I didn’t grow up with money, I couldn’t go back to money. And it drove me to win that job downtown at the Miami Herald’s sports section,” Skip recalled.
Even though Shedeur didn’t necessarily come from humble beginnings, Bayless implored the 23-year-old to find the same drive that he once found as a young columnist. “Shedeur, you gotta be driven, man. This is it, this is your shot.”
For Bayless, that job at the Miami Herald, as well as the conversation that preceded it, proved to be life changing.
“This reminded me of my first year out of college… Times were tough, it was hard to get a job… Sports Center called me three days before graduation and said, “Hey. You can’t come back.” They’d already offered me a job, I was an intern the Summer before. He told me… “You’re better than this, you don’t want to get stuck here.” He saved me. Frank Boggs, great columnist.”
Boggs would come through with an opportunity, but it did require Bayless to work his way up. In fact, much like Sanders, he was forced to compete for the position against one of his peers. According to Bayless, the sports editor at the Miami Herald informed him that he had also hired “a kid out of his arch rival school.”
The winner was to receive “a slot to come down town and work at the big paper.” Faced with a problematic homelife and a lack of options, Bayless noted that the challenge meant that it was officially “sink or swim” for his career.
Today, Bayless is one of the most decorated and most recognized names in sports broadcasting today. While he may have incurred a speeding ticket or two along the way, it’s fair to say that the path ahead of him turned out alright in the end.
Suffice to say, Bayless sees his younger self in Sanders, and now that his career is winding down, he seems to be content with cheering on the next generation of standouts.
