Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has made a few headlines for the wrong reasons. Our sports commentator Terry Pluto said that some off-field choices—like recent speeding violations—highlight concerns about Sanders' readiness to lead an NFL team right away.
“There’s a couple of issues going on here,” Pluto said. “He had a ticket for going 101 and then a couple weeks earlier, I think it was 91 miles an hour. Anybody that’s ever been driving on the interstate and seen somebody go blow past at 91 or 100 miles an hour knows that it’s almost terrifying… That’s part of it. The other part was, he didn’t show up at court.”
Pluto noted that while Sanders has since paid his fines, the situation reflects a broader issue of maturity, especially for someone positioning himself as a public figure and role model.
“That’s basically just kind of a young guy acting dumb,” Pluto said. “I didn’t say he was dumb, but those are dumb actions and dangerous ones.”
Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was drafted by the Browns in the fifth round of this year’s NFL Draft after sliding far below his projected first-round status. He’s since been very visible in Northeast Ohio, including visits to local high schools and youth events.
But Pluto says Sanders’ off-field behavior raises questions about consistency and responsibility, particularly when trying to be a role model.
“I really would ask him very strongly, 'Shedeur, would you recommend, when you're speaking to these kids, that they drive 91 or 101 miles an hour?'” Pluto said. “When you put yourself in the position to say, 'I’m going to talk to young people,' then you have to be very careful in how you’re conducting yourself.”
Much of Sanders’ appeal lies in his brand. He comes to Cleveland with millions in Name, Image and Likeness endorsements, a social media following in the millions, and a polished public image. But Pluto worries that branding is still too much of a priority.
“He’s been doing a lot of the things where they have video cameras following him around and he's putting it out on social media,” Pluto said. “I hope the Browns are able to tell him, you know, you just got to be smart about stuff.”
Pluto emphasized that Sanders’ draft status should be a reality check.
“You are a fifth-round draft choice...144 guys were picked in front of you,” Pluto said. “Every NFL team passed on you at least four times in the draft and your main job here is playing football...I’m still not sure if Shedeur Sanders fully understands that he’s got all these guys in front of him.”
Those guys include veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, whom the Browns drafted 50 spots ahead of Sanders.
“If I were (Sanders), I would play the underdog label,” Pluto said. “But he’s still kind of rolling out the brand stuff.”
While Sanders has impressed coaches and media at rookie camp, Pluto says calls for him to start Week 1 are premature.
“To me, this is just another sign that Shedeur still has quite a bit of maturing to do on the NFL level,” Pluto said.
Still, Pluto acknowledged Sanders’ on-field talent and work ethic.
“To have been successful at two schools, Jackson State and Colorado, where it was hard to be successful...(Sanders) brought a lot of good things to those programs and helped elevate them," Pluto said. “You’ve got a chance to be an NFL quarterback, maybe even be special. Don’t get derailed on anything like this.”
