“These Unofficial Officials”: Shedeur Sanders’ Mom Pilar Berates Referees for Not Penalizing Potential Career-Altering Hit on QB Son

Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes were handed a major upset loss by Kansas, but things could have gone much worse. QB Shedeur Sanders narrowly avoided a potential career-altering hit to his knees late in the second quarter of the game. The late hit, delivered after Shedeur had thrown the ball, was so egregious that his mother, Pilar Sanders, was outraged it went unnoticed by the officials.

CBS Sports captured Shedeur’s post-game reaction to the hit where he said, “I just don’t know how that’s legal.” Reacting to this statement, his mother Pilar Sanders wrote in the comments, “Because it’s NOT (legal)!”

“I’m telling you something needs to be done with these UNOFFICIAL “OFFICIALS” I’m so done with them!” she continued.

 

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The agitation was clearly visible in Pilar’s words, as she bashed the referees for not throwing a flag on such a dangerous tackle which could have seriously impacted Shedeur’s upcoming NFL career. He is projected to be a top three pick in the 2025 NFL draft. A lot is at stake.

The tackle in question occurred late in the first half of the game. It was Jayhawks’ defensive end Dean Miller who executed the late hit, diving headfirst into the QB’s knees. Call it luck or positional understanding, but Shedeur didn’t have his legs firmly planted on the ground, so the hit threw him into the air.

Shedeur landed on his back, lying there for a few moments before shrugging it off and continuing with the game as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, everyone was stunned that the officials didn’t throw a flag on the egregious hit.

Any mother would have skipped a beat watching her son take that kind of hit. So, Pilar’s reaction is more than justified. Apparently, she was ready to confront the player herself, as in another post from CBS Sports, she asked for the player’s name.

“Who’s that player again plz.”

Meanwhile, Deion was cool as a breeze, as he only boasted son Shedeur’s ability to take even the most brutal hits with the right technique.

“He’s good,” Deion said. “Shedeur been hit his whole life, man. He’s tough, one of the toughest young football players I’ve ever seen.”

Coach Prime was asked about the late hit Shedeur took in the first half.

“He’s good. Shedeur been hit his whole life man. He’s tough, one of the toughest young football players I’ve ever seen.”

— Jake Schwanitz (@JakeDNVR) November 24, 2024

Deion knows how to capitalize on viral moments, and that’s exactly what he did. After watching his son take the hit like a pro athlete, he made sure to highlight how well he escaped what could have been a season-ending injury.