Shedeur Sanders‘ NFL career has gotten off to quite the roller-coaster start, but one man has been beside him through and through.
As Sanders was falling in the NFL Draft, President Donald Trump called out “stupid” NFL owners for passing on him. After he earned a win in his first start on Sunday, Trump gave them an “I TOLD YOU SO.”
The 23-year-old has taken notice of the president’s support.
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“He’s definitely been a supporter for a minute, so I’m just thankful for him, from even taking time out his day to be able to speak out, his support,” Sanders told reporters Wednesday.
Sanders was 11-of-20 for 209 yards and a touchdown pass in the 24-10 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. He threw an impressive pass to Isaiah Bond, which set up a score early in the game. He then had a 66-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Sampson that started out as a dump-off.
“Shedeur Sanders was GREAT. Wins first game, career start, as a pro (for Cleveland). Great Genes. I TOLD YOU SO!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Sanders was a fifth-round pick by the Browns after he was considered to be one of the top quarterbacks available. In April, the president was among those bewildered by his fall.
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“What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID? Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.
Sanders said he was “truly thankful” for Trump’s support back in May, as well.
Sanders started the season as the third-string quarterback behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. The Browns traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals before deciding to start Gabriel. However, the former Oregon star suffered a concussion in last week’s game, opening the door for Sanders.
Gabriel has cleared concussion protocol, but the Browns announced that the job is now Sanders’.
“Everybody starts different places. Like I said, just because I didn’t get the summer reps just because I wasn’t in the best situation for me to be prepared to go out there and execute from a summer standpoint – that’s how life is,” Sanders said after his performance. “Everybody’s not in the best situation. But it’s no excuse. Gotta go out there and perform. There’s no choice. There’s no question.”
“Nobody cares if this was one week of prep. Who cares? So, a lot of people want to see me fail – it ain’t gonna happen. It ain’t gonna happen,” he added.
The Browns play the San Francisco 49ers next week.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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