In videos posted to his social media, Shedeur Sanders refers to himself as "Legendary Shedeur Sanders." He infamously skipped the NFL Draft's first round in Green Bay to instead throw himself a lavish party outside Dallas, Texas. And during the Cleveland Browns OTAs in recent weeks, he's worn a gaudy gold necklace reminiscent of former NBA star Darryl Dawkins in the late 1970s.
Despite that intentional and unabashed narcissism, Sanders' father - Deion - is incredulous that his son might show up for a job interview wearing headphones.
"When you sit up there and say something like he went into a meeting unprepared, like, dude," Deion said of Shedeur on a podcast with former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel. "Shedeur Sanders? Who has had six different [offensive] coordinators, who has still functioned and leveled up every time we brought somebody new in, and you're going to tell me he was unprepared? You're going to tell me he had on headphones? Anybody who knows my son understands he's a professional. He's going to go into a meeting with headphones on? Y'all, come on now."
It was Deion, remember, who embraced the nickname "Prime Time" and still refers to himself as "Coach Prime." So safe to say humility isn't exactly a dominant gene in the family DNA.
Long before the Browns finally drafted Shedeur in the fifth round, he reportedly showed up to a session with New York Giants' head coach Brian Daboll wearing headphones and unprepared to answer questions about the team's offensive system.
Deion, not surprisingly, took offense. But in a trademark marketing spin, Deion is twisting his son's snub into a chance to compare him to none other than Tom Brady.
"It did hurt," Deion admits of Shedeur's epic fall in the draft all the way to Cleveland and the 144th overall pick. "There was some foolish stuff that went on, but that gave them something that they needed. Like that edge that Tom [Brady] had, it gave them the edge that you had, it gave them the edge that I have. Folks said we weren't gonna be nothing. But we had to prove that. It gave them the edge that they needed. Both of them."
As usual, even when it comes to his boastful religion, Deion continues to bend the facts to fit his narrative.
Hours before April's draft, he boasted that Shedeur would be a "top pick" and said on his social media, "Watch God show out tonight!"
But after the shocking drop to the fifth round, Sanders decided to spin it.
Said Deion on the podcast, "The Bible says God uses the foolish things to confound the wise."
Shedeur is one of five quarterbacks competing for the Browns' starting job.