Shedeur Sanders historic NFL Draft drama ignites heated racial debates: 'feels like Kaepernick'

Shedeur Sanders leaned connected supplication and religion during this historical NFL Draft slide. 

But immoderate of his supporters leaned into thing else. 

ESPN prima big Stephen A. Smith helped to stir, whether intentionally oregon not, a heated statement astir the relation of contention successful Sanders' draught drama. 

Smith revealed a substance connection from an subordinate who compared the concern to Colin Kaepernick being retired of the NFL since 2016 aft his infamous kneels during the nationalist anthem, successful an X post. And Smith agreed with the comparison. 

"'This is simply a atrocious look for the NFL. This feels similar Kaepernick-level collusion,'" Smith said the substance read, adding that the concern goes beyond "talent evaluation." 

"All the hard enactment the NFL League Office puts successful to eradicate these kinds of perceptions, lone to crook astir and ticker arsenic the OWNERS look similar they’re colluding, messing up everything. What has been done to Shedeur volition outshine everything other successful this draft. We’ll ne'er judge this is astir conscionable endowment valuation again." 

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Colorado Buffaloes backmost Shedeur Sanders (2) walks done the passageway for warm-ups earlier the Rocky Mountain Showdown against the CSU Rams astatine Folsom Field connected September 16, 2023. (Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

In an earlier post, Smith wrote, "In a antithetic way, this is Kaepernick each implicit again." 

Barstool laminitis Dave Portnoy took purpose astatine Smith with a response, calling the ESPN host's stance "insane" and a "race take." Portnoy made definite to explicit his "love" for Shedeur's begetter Deion Sanders successful his effect to Smith, and besides pointed retired the archetypal backmost taken was Miami backmost Cam Ward, who is Black. 

"This is insane. All these contention takes are insane. I emotion Deion. And I’ve been saying for 2 years Shedeur would beryllium my archetypal QB disconnected the board. But NFL GMs, coaches, owners volition bash ANYTHING to triumph games, prevention jobs. The NFL is cut-throat. Owners would stomp connected each other’s throats to win. There is nary collusion," Portnoy wrote. 

"The archetypal prime was a achromatic QB. If teams thought Shedeur and everything helium brings could assistance them triumph games much than guys disposable connected the board, they’d draught him. That's it. End of story. Every different communicative is fantasy."

Other debates implicit the contented person raged fiercely, branching profoundly into the governmental sphere.

Earlier connected Friday, earlier Sanders adjacent fell past the 2nd and 3rd rounds, erstwhile Democrat congressman Jamaal Bowman much bluntly suggest helium has fallen due to the fact that "America continues to fearfulness beardown Black men."

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"The NFL doesn’t similar [Shedeur] Sanders, due to the fact that helium wears golden chains and talks similar a rapper. They don’t attraction that he’s a leader, intelligent, pugnacious and completed 77% of his passes with nary O-line and nary moving game. He’s entitled but Eli Manning wasn’t entitled erstwhile helium refused to beryllium drafted by San Diego?" Bowman wrote connected X. 

"He’s not athletic, but that didn’t halt Joe Montana, Drew Brees oregon Tom Brady. America continues to fearfulness beardown Black men who travel from means and person a beardown consciousness of themselves without submitting to the 'dominant' culture."

Bowman's archetypal station has since received a assemblage enactment pointing retired the information that the archetypal picks successful the past 3 drafts person been Black quarterbacks.

Conservative filmmaker Matt Walsh mocked Bowman's video with a sarcastic re-share connected X. 

ESPN vigor big Peter Rosenberg posted a long-ranging thread connected X, arguing that contention has been a origin successful Sanders' draught slide. 

"Some (white) radical whitethorn not recognize wherefore contention is becoming a speech astir Shedeur. It whitethorn oregon whitethorn not person thing to bash with what's going connected present but the narration betwixt America and ‘brash’ Black athletes has a heavy history. White America is historically angered by and frightened of men similar Shedeur Sanders. So whether that's what's happening present oregon not -- that past and feeling cannot spell away," Rosenberg wrote. 

Meanwhile, the fTNT Sports big went truthful acold arsenic to suggest the New York Giants passed implicit Sanders for Jaxson Dart due to the fact that they "don't like" Black quarterbacks. 

"The Giants don’t similar Black QBs this has been documented implicit time. No mode they were getting a Black QB with the property of Shedeur Sanders unfortunately," Becton wrote. 

However, Becton's station besides received a assemblage note, pointing retired the information that they person 2 Black quarterbacks connected their roster. 

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Colorado backmost Shedeur Sanders talks to Mississippi backmost Jaxson Dart astatine the NFL shot scouting harvester successful Indianapolis, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Conservative influencer Robbie Starbuck dismissed the thought that Sanders was falling due to the fact that of racism. 

"Shedeur Sanders mightiness extremity up being large and teams whitethorn regret not picking him but the thought that helium hasn’t been picked due to the fact that of racism is conscionable stupid. The #1 prime successful the draught was a achromatic QB. The champion QB successful the NFL is fractional black. Teams are frightened disconnected by the circus, not his race," Starbuck wrote. 

The Sanders household itself has not made immoderate specified suggestions astir race. Instead, they person posted book verses and messages astir thanking God. 

After Sanders was selected connected Saturday, the household posted a video showing a boisterous solemnisation successful their household home.

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