CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s bad enough that Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was cited for going 101 mph in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville shortly after midnight on Tuesday while he was still in town for Browns’ rookie orientation.
But it’s exacerbated by the fact that he was also stopped for speeding less than two weeks earlier by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and then failed to appear in Medina Municipal Court for his arraignment on Monday.
In that incident, Sanders was pulled over at 5:13 p.m. on June 5 on I-71 in Brunswick Hills Township, driving 91 mph in a 65 mph zone, the Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed for cleveland.com. It was the final day of organized team activities, during which Sanders impressed the Browns with his accuracy, arm strength and increasing grasp of the new system. To make matters worse, he failed to appear in court and has an outstanding $269 in fines, which sends up a red flag on Sanders’ mindset as he begins his NFL career here.
The second ticket came at 12:34 a.m. Tuesday when he was stopped for going 41 miles over the 60 mph speed limit on I-71 in Strongsville. It happened a week after Browns mandatory minicamp, where he earned rave reviews from the coaching staff and positioned himself for more quality reps in next month’s training camp with his excellent performance.
The latter also came with four days left in the Browns’ rookie orientation, which ends on Friday. It’s an important time for rookies, during which NFL teams help them get acclimated to the league and their new surroundings.
At the start of rookie minicamp last month, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear to the rookies that everything they do is being evaluated, from their off-the-field behavior, to interviews, to on-field performance and aptitude in the meeting rooms.
In the case of Sanders, he’s in the midst of a heated four-way quarterback competition in which he has a bona fide chance to silence his critics and make a run at the starting job. Granted, he’s a longshot to go from fourth-team quarterback to QB1 by Sept. 7 against the Bengals, but he did enough over the last two weeks of spring ball to remain in the conversation and warrant his first snaps with and against the starters in training camp. Rookies report on July 18 and veterans on July 22nd.
Both of the Browns rookie quarterbacks, including third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, have a long way to go to beat out veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and will most likely have to wait their turn until possibly the second half of the season. But the door is open for both of them to defy the odds and at least force the Browns to consider starting them Week 1.
Now, Sanders, son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, must also prove to the Browns that he’ll conduct himself professionally from here on out and can handle the demands of the position. He’s assured the Browns that he’ll take care of the speeding tickets, a team spokesman said, including the second one which can be waived by paying the $250 fine.
But speeding twice on company time, including during rookie orientation, is a pattern that must and will be addressed by the Browns, and could be at least a footnote in the quarterback competition.
Sanders, who tumbled from projected first-rounder to the fifth round of the NFL draft, knows that everyone is watching him, especially all the kids with whom he loves to work and interact. Hours before he was clocked at 101, he spent the afternoon participating in the Browns’ Youth Camp, and even getting behind the camera to interview the kids and engage with them. Those moments with Sanders seem genuine, and he appears to love giving back.
But something is askew here, and the Browns must dig in and discover if it’s a sign of a larger problem, such as the pressure of the competition, or if it’s nothing more than a recent college kid feeling the need for speed in his black Dodge Ram pickup truck. The officer, who referred to the truck as “supercharged” in the body cam footage obtained by cleveland.com partner WKYC-TV, also spoke of a female with Sanders at the time of the incident whom he said was clocked at 92 in her own car. He said he chose to cut her a break and not cite her, but the risky business in the early morning hours could’ve ended in disaster or death.
As noted on Wednesday, I believe Sanders would benefit from a conversation in camp with Myles Garrett, who was cited for speeding six times here before flipping his Porsche three times in Medina after swerving to avoid an animal while traveling at an unsafe speed.
Garrett finally got the message to slow down when he and his passenger walked away from the frightening crash and crumpled car with only minor injuries, and he’s grateful to be alive.
Sanders and the Browns can’t let it get to that point for all involved. Not only were he and his friend lucky they didn’t get hurt, they’re lucky they didn’t harm anyone else.
Now that it’s apparent the 101 mph was more than just an isolated incident, the Browns must act quickly to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
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