There is perhaps no prouder dad moment than finding out your son just played in the first NFL game of his pro career. When Deion Sanders caught wind of Shedeur's debut with the Browns on Sunday afternoon, he could barely contain his emotions.
The Sanders family didn't seem to expect that Shedeur would play his first NFL minutes on Sunday, as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel was tabbed for his sixth straight start against the Ravens. But after Gabriel exited the game in the third quarter due to a concussion, Shedeur's time had finally arrived, and Deion was extremely emotional hearing about the news.
The Colorado coach received a call from his other son, Deion Jr., while working at a coaching clinic in Boulder on Sunday and revealed his instant reaction.
"I was in tears," Deion said in a video shared by Well Off Media (around the 21:00 mark). "[He] called me screaming, 'Man, I'm crying right now! Can you leave me alone? Leave me alone, leave me alone.'"
Deion also took some questions from the crowd during his coaching clinic, and a young fan threw him off guard with one about Shedeur: "Would you want Shedeur Sanders to be on any other team?" she asked.
The Buffaloes coach smiled and said, "You're trying to take me viral. I'm going to stay away from that one."
Deion has memorably been with his son every step along the way on his rocky path to the pros, from witnessing Shedeur's stunning draft slide in April to watching the young quarterback develop his skills in Cleveland from afar.
When news broke that Shedeur reportedly turned down the chance to be drafted by the Ravens in hopes of landing on a team where he could become an NFL starter sooner, Deion pledged his full support in his son. "Be patient and be ready," Deion said when asked for his advice to Shedeur. "It's gon' go down this year. He gon' get a shot."
As fate would have it, Shedeur did end up getting his golden opportunity sooner rather than later, though he came short of leading the Browns to a win over the Ravens in the 23-16 home loss and finished with just 47 passing yards and one interception. The Colorado product could start in his first full game when the Browns take on the Raiders on Sunday if Gabriel remains in concussion protocol—and we'd expect Deion and the rest of the Sanders family to be seated for that one.
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