The 2025 NFL Draft will likely go down as one of the more memorable events of its kind in recent NFL history and for all of the wrong reasons. The unprecedented nature of Shedeur Sanders’ slide to the fifth round has remained prevalent in the national conversation weeks after its initial occurrence, and so too has the influence of his father, Deion Sanders.
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Fans and pundits alike have started to suggest that Deion became overly involved in his son’s draft process, ultimately costing him a better opportunity. However, the ever-controversial social activist and public commentator known as Dr. Umar has taken the accusations a step further.
Believing that the powers that be at the NFL did, in fact, collude against the Colorado quarterback, Umar asserted that the coordinated effort against Shedeur was ultimately intended to spite his father.
“They never got a chance to punish Deion as a player. He said how he felt and did what he wanted to do. He survived the plantation.”
Citing every instance of success that Coach Prime has enjoyed with the Colorado Buffaloes, the commentator believes that envy and hatred, more so than poor draft evaluations, are to blame for Sanders falling all the way to the Cleveland Browns at the 144th overall spot in the draft.
“He signs a contract that’s worth more than what a lot of coaches are making in the NFL with a college team… Deion Sanders is getting more media coverage and gameday coverage than NFL teams. They hate Deion… This wasn’t about Shedeur, this was about Deion,” Dr. Umar added.
Meanwhile, renowned ESPN host and commentator, Stephen A. Smith, found himself suggesting that Sanders’ presence proved to be a problem as well during a recent appearance on the Big Boys TV podcast. According to Smith, it’s difficult to sell teams and their front office personnel on a product that comes with an overbearing parent, especially when the parent is a national sensation.
“They don’t want to have a quarterback coming in and they gotta worry about his dad making noise about what they are doing, how they are doing it… All of those things come into play and then you’re an executive who’s chosen a coach but the audience is clamoring for dad to come coach his son… Those are things that an executive or ownership group is going to be worried about.”
While it’s hard to confirm whether or not Sanders’ truly hindered his son’s draft stock, it’s equally difficult to argue that he helped it in any meaningful way. Following Coach Prime’s assertion that he wouldn’t let Shedeur play for certain franchises, the narrative surrounding the 23 year old being a top three pick quickly disappeared, indicating a bit of harm on behalf of his father.
Nevertheless, those comments alone were surely not enough to see him go undrafted until the fifth round, as several teams have since confirmed that they had less-than-stellar interviews with Shedeur. However, Deion and Shedeur would look to prove the critics wrong, and follow Tom Brady’s advice, to “use it as motivation.”
