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Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said his son Shedeur “went through hell” during a turbulent predraft process and rookie season with the Cleveland Browns, saying he believes both were rife with untruthful reporting.
"When he takes off his shirt, I see the scars on his back that he's been through hell, but he's made it through hell," Deion said in an interview with "The Barbershop" that was posted Thursday on YouTube.
"He kept going and he matured, not like he was a child, but he matured spiritually," he said, adding that Shedeur came to understand, "You can't force this. If it ain't your time, it ain't your time."
Shedeur, a standout at Jackson State and Colorado, was viewed as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 draft and was ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s No. 1-rated quarterback, but he fell to Day 3, where the Browns traded up to select him with the 144th overall pick.
The surprising drop sparked discourse about Shedeur’s predraft process, with multiple reports, citing anonymous team sources, saying that he did not interview well with teams at the combine.
"It was some ignorant things [that] came out about him predraft and all that, and that was a lie," Deion said. "Like, he would never go into a meeting with headphones on. He would never go into a meeting unprepared. Like that's just not who he is. There's no way he could accomplish the things he accomplished without being prepared."
Deion was also critical of some of the reporting during Shedeur's first season in Cleveland.
"A lot of things that was said … it bothered me, but it didn't bother him," Deion said. "He just wanted the opportunity to get on the grass and do his thing."
Shedeur began his pro career as Cleveland's No. 4 quarterback and did not receive any first-team reps as the Browns held a quarterback competition in training camp. He became the backup ahead of Week 6 after Joe Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, and Shedeur made his NFL debut in the second half of a Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens after Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion.
Shedeur's lack of first-team reps before being thrust into action sparked questions of whether the Browns' staff had properly prepared him to play. Shedeur started the final seven games of the season, and Cleveland was 3-4 with him as the starter. He is now competing with Deshaun Watson to be the Browns’ starting quarterback in the 2026 season.
The Browns, who finished the 2025 season with a 5-12 record, fired Kevin Stefanski after six seasons as head coach. Cleveland hired Todd Monken, the Baltimore Ravens' former offensive coordinator, to be the franchise's next head coach.
"I love it, man, because [Monken is] a straight shooter," Deion said. "He keeps it a buck."
Deion also said he plans to travel to Cleveland to meet Monken.
"I want to meet him because I think it's vital that as a coach, not the dad, I can tell him a few things about [Shedeur], how to get him going," said Deion, who was Shedeur's head coach through high school and college. "That wasn't asked of me a year ago. I don't understand it. Even a guy like Travis Hunter, being drafted to Jacksonville and I’ve had him for the last three [years], don’t you think you would want to talk to me to ask me what gets him going and what backs him off? You would want to know that.
"So, I anticipate, and I can't wait to have that conversation with Coach Monken."
After the Browns' first day of voluntary veteran minicamp in late April, Shedeur said Monken and his staff have brought a "new vibe" to the team, and he praised them for "embracing" him.
Shedeur also reflected on the past year, saying, "I was in a position to where I can handle everything that comes my way. So now I feel bulletproof."
