Colorado fan bizarrely sues NFL for $100 million over Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide

A Georgia native has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the NFL, alleging it intentionally suppressed Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock, causing him to fall to the fifth round of the 2025 Draft.

Colorado fan bizarrely sues NFL for $100 million over Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide

Shedeur Sanders (Image via AP)

How much do the fans at the University of Boulder, Colorado, love Shedeur Sanders? They love him enough to take on the NFL and the 32 owners for deliberately passing over him in the draft. Yes, that is absolutely true. A die-hard fan from Colorado has taken it upon himself to file a lawsuit against the NFL for causing Sanders to drop from a projected top 10 pick to a fifth-round pick.

It is hard to blame him for this step because no one, including the most experienced of analysts from major networks such as ESPN and FOX Sports, had this on their Draft Day Bingo Card. How does a quarterback with a 70% completion percentage and 4,000+ yards drop that far behind? That is an unexplainable phenomenon.

The fresh lawsuit filed by an anonymous fan seeks up to $100 million in damages from the NFL for playing a part in Sanders’ fall from grace. A Georgia-native, the man has cited rumors from NFL scouts in the lead-up to the draft, accusing Shedeur of purposefully tanking interviews, being too cocky, and showing up unprepared as reasons which damaged the quarterback’s reputation and resulted in him ultimately falling to the fifth-round.

The lawsuit is alleging a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While his sentiment is laudable, his actions, on the contrary, are utterly ridiculous. It is unfortunate that Shedeur Sanders went 144th overall, but that is the harsh reality, and there is nothing that can be done to undo it.

“The decisions made regarding Sanders may have been influenced by racial discrimination, violating his rights as a player,” the lawsuit states. This is not the first time that Sanders’ fall in the draft has been linked to the color of his skin. Former U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman was one of the few who indicated that Shedeur did not go in the first round because “America continues to fear strong Black men.”

The statement has no merit to it. Simply because the top three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft are all Black. Cam Ward was the first overall pick, Travis Hunter went second, and Abdul Carter went third.

The lawsuit against the NFL is unlikely to be entertained for long by the Courts

While his skin color was not a factor, the same cannot be said about his attitude. Shedeur Sanders was the most confident candidate in this year’s draft class. He made statements telling teams that are not interested in changing their culture to stay away from him.

Furthermore, his father, Deion Sanders, had warned teams that if his son were to end up in the wrong organization, they would do everything to get him out of there.

Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders
Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders (Image via AP)

Such statements did not sit well with the league. If there is one thing that teams dislike, it is having draft prospects dictate terms. The lawsuit is unlikely to hold up, and the allegations of “collusion among NFL teams” and “a conspiracy to restrain trade and limit competition within the league,” are just blasphemous.

Note that neither the NFL nor any team is obligated to draft a player. Even if a franchise promises an athlete that they will be picking them in the draft and goes on to pass on them, it is not a breach of trust or contract from a legal perspective.

Players falling in the Draft is nothing new; it has been happening for the longest time. However, no player has dropped as far below as Shedeur has, and it is not a violation of any laws.

Interestingly, the fan claims that this incident has resulted in Shedeur suffering “severe emotional distress and trauma to the Plaintiff, resulting in frustration, disappointment, and psychological harm as a fan.” If anything, this incident will be one that shall be laughed off and a reminder to fans that nothing is guaranteed in the NFL Draft.

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