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ESPN analyst tells the truth about Shedeur Sanders smear campaign. Hint: It's about Deion.
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- ESPN analyst tells the truth about Shedeur Sanders smear campaign. Hint: It's about Deion.
Sometimes, in a world full of lies, you will get the occasional kernel of truth. That's what happened when ESPN analyst Louis Riddick was asked about a smear campaign against Shedeur Sanders .
Sanders, the University of Colorado quarterback, will likely be a first round pick and could go in the top five in the upcoming NFL draft . There's been persistent talk that Sanders is brash or arrogant. Some of this reportedly came from an anonymous NFL quarterbacks coach. The talk has become so loud that various people in the media began addressing it. Before Riddick talked about this issue on the "Dan Patrick Show" this week, Josina Anderson, one of the most respected NFL insiders in the business, addressed it as well.
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"I am disappointed to hear that a quarterbacks coach from a team drafting in the top 7 referred to Shedeur Sanders as coming off 'brash' and 'arrogant' in his team interview and making his assessment known to a number of people, per source," Anderson wrote on X on March 3 .
"This coach's personal assessment is the direct opposite from how Sanders came across to many reporters in his press conference with the media at the Combine," Anderson wrote. "Sanders appeared to go out of his way to acknowledge multiple media members, regardless if they were recognizable or not. He seemed cordial, polite, witty, thoughtful along with being confident (as many athletes are)."
"According to league sources, said QB coach seems to have issue with 'the culture' of athletes who have broad fame and financial success before entering the NFL, and in their opinions, appears to them to have a problem certain athletes — I'll leave it at that," Anderson wrote.
This is where Riddick comes in with a remarkable piece of truth.
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"Are you sold that Shedeur Sanders is a first-round quarterback?" Patrick asked.
"He's a top-half of the first round player," Riddick said.
"Where is this negativity coming from?" Patrick said. "It feels like it was a smear campaign."
"People have been at this game ... trying to talk certain prospects down for years," Riddick said. "Deion is a lightning rod. That's where it starts — it doesn't even start with Shedeur, this starts with his father and then it just trickles down to him.
"It's been that way since I played with Deion back in 1992. People don't like flashy guys like that who can back it up. They just don't. With Deion, he's always been a polarizing player to the people who don't know him. With Shedeur, he has some of his father in him, there's no question. How could he not? He's the man's son.
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"A lot of it comes from who he is and what his last name is."
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
That is where this is all coming from. It emerges from a dislike of Deion and that dislike is transferred down to his son.
Riddick is a greatly respected NFL presence. He's a former player, former team executive and longtime analyst. When he speaks, you listen.
Deion hasn't always been likeable. When he dumped water on the head of analyst Tim McCarver, well, that wasn't cool. Deion has said things I don't agree with.
Shedeur Sanders speaks to the media during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
But Deion has also proven to be an exemplary coach and leader. His son is professional, smart and tough. There is literally no rational reason now not to like Shedeur. None. Zero.
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This story is of course layered. Some people may genuinely dislike Shedeur as a player. They may believe he's not as good as others think. That's all fine. But as Riddick points out there are other factors here as well.
Also, to be sure, some of the disinformation is a smokescreen. It's extremely common for teams to lie about prospects in order to drive down their value, so they can get them later in the draft. This rarely works but that doesn't stop teams from trying. This is why draft season is called "lying season."
There's also the fact that this type of thing has happened historically to Black draft prospects. This was a point ESPN analyst and former NFL player Ryan Clark said on "First Take."
"They plant these certain reports, and you do hear these certain things, and you hear the word 'arrogant.' Why is he arrogant? Because he won't walk into the meeting and bend the knee, or he won't sit in the meeting and question himself or his abilities or his knowledge and experience in the game?" Clark said. "I don't believe that's arrogance – I want a quarterback that's self-assured. I want a quarterback that can cut the film on, and when you ask him a certain question about 'why did you make this mistake' or 'why did you make this throw' or 'why was this the right read,' I want him to be able to regurgitate that to me like he's in the play at the moment the same way a coach or offensive coordinator would, because that's what he's gonna have he to do. I've had conversations with Shedeur Sanders, and he can do that."
Clark added: "It's not just about him being Deion Sanders' son. It's about the bravado he carries. It's about the fact that he looks a certain way. It is about the fact that the color of his skin sometimes at the position can be questioned. And I believe Shedeur Sanders is going to have to deal with that until he gets on the field."
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What's also clear is that Shedeur has a number of allies. One of them is Patrick.
"Shedeur Sanders hasn't thrown a football, hasn't played a game in a couple of months. But you're starting to get the feeling, I don't want to say 'smear campaign,' but it does feel like you start to pile on," Patrick said . "And sometimes, the insiders are following insiders, and they want to make sure that they don't miss on this. And it's an echo chamber, it's a circle. Now you start to hear, 'hey nobody's sold necessarily on Shedeur Sanders being a first-round draft pick.' Where did that come from? That was quick."
"Show me a quarterback who's not arrogant," said NFL analyst Mark Schlereth on FS1. "You ever sit with a guy who's going to be a star quarterback? Most of them are arrogant. Most of them have a lot of belief in what they do."
"He's incredibly accurate," Schlereth continued. "He really understands not only offensive football, but he understands what you're doing as a defense. So he'll pick you apart that way. He processes quickly. Like, all those things to me are big-time attributes."
Yes, it's lying season.
But Riddick told the truth.
This story was updated with new information.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shedeur Sanders smear campaign starts with his father
