Shedeur Sanders is one of the faces of the 2025 rookie class whether fans like it or not. His entrance into the NFL was full of drama and media attention. However, one reporter may have taken it too far with a recent question directed at the 23-year-old.
Here was his response.
“Are You Trying To Start Stuff?” Shedeur Sanders Snaps Back After Inappropriate Question (Watch)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) is all smiles during NFL training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) is all smiles during NFL training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.
In light of the intense media scrutiny Shedeur Sanders is facing, you have to give him credit for how he’s handled it:
The fifth-round draft pick has been under a microscope while competing for a spot on the Browns roster alongside Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. Along the way, he hasn’t been shy about pushing back on narratives that certain media members have tried to peddle.
Last weekend, Sanders missed the Browns’ preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That gave Gabriel a chance to show what he can do, and he put together an up-and-down performance that warranted another look.
After leaving the game following the first half, Gabriel was interviewed by Browns TV reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala, who asked the rookie how he tunes out the noise surrounding the QB battle, to which he responded, “There’s entertainers and there’s competitors… and my job is to compete.” While the context made it clear the quote was about the media, the official NFL social media accounts stripped that away, leaving only the quote, which heavily implied that he was referring to Sanders as an “entertainer.”
Aug 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) looks to pass against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Aug 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) looks to pass against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Despite Kinkhabwala and Gabriel clarifying afterward that the answer had nothing to do with Sanders, that narrative took hold.
Thursday, Sanders met with the Cleveland media and shared that he and Gabriel had discussed the comments and the way they were being spun.
Here is the full video:
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders said fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel approached him on the plane last week to tell him the entertainers-and-competitors quote was not about him. Sanders’ comments on the whole ordeal. pic.twitter.com/BjHIiUbBxU
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 21, 2025
“I spoke with him,” Sanders said after practice. “He said, ‘Nah, bro, that wasn’t.’ He said that. He told me on the plane. He came up, he was like, ‘Nah, bro, that wasn’t at you. I see how they trying to spin it.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m not tripping, regardless of whatever it was.’ Nobody’s words or anything affects me.”
Sanders was then asked whether or not he believed Gabriel’s reasoning for the comments, at which point the rookie seemed to realize what was going on and took a playful jab at the reporter who asked.
“Did I believe him?” Sanders said. “I mean, I feel like you’re trying to start stuff now. I feel like you’re trying to start stuff. I mean, [the reporter’s] doing his job he’s supposed to. Do I feel like he did? I don’t know. And that’s not on me to sit here and be like, ‘Oh, he did, he did it.’ That’s not going to change my life in any way.”
Aug 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) looks to pass to tight end Sal Cannella (87) during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Aug 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) looks to pass to tight end Sal Cannella (87) during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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