Shedeur Sanders Skipped The ESPYs For A Very Good Reason originally appeared on The Spun.
Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was mentioned at the 2025 ESPY Awards, but he wasn’t actually at the event in Los Angeles.
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During the opening monologue for the 2025 ESPYS, host Shane Gillis poked fun at Colorado retiring Sanders’ jersey number earlier this year. People thought it was a questionable move considering he only spent two seasons with the Buffaloes.
“Shedeur Sanders had his jersey number retired at Colorado this year. People are saying it’s because of nepotism because of his father,” Gillis said. “It’s not. It’s because he went 13-12 over his career and he almost won the Alamo Bowl.”
We’re not sure if Sanders was offended by this joke. Besides, he was too busy helping out his new community.
On Wednesday afternoon, Sanders was hosting a “Garden Valley Fun Fest” in Cleveland. This event was designed to help kids impacted by the explosion and fire at Rainbow Terrace Apartments.
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“Sending money and stuff, that’s easy,” Sanders said. “But you have to actually go out there and be in the flesh.”
May 10, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) talks to the media during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images.Ken Blaze-Imagn Images.
Sanders is getting ready for his first NFL training camp. Although he didn’t receive a ton of reps during mandatory minicamp, he’s feeling optimistic about his future with the Browns.
“My goal is to be the best teammate and to be as polished as I can be in every aspect,” Sanders said. “I view things as I got time. I got time to be able to grow and mature and be able to understand the ins and outs of the defenses and be able to get the good insight from the vets in the room.
“So, I look at it as a plus. I got time to actually be able to really have a great understanding and whenever it’s time for me to play, then it’s time for me to play. But I’m not looking too far in the future about all that. I’m looking [at] every day in practice. … I’m focused on the small things and over time the big things will happen.”
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There’ll be plenty of eyes on Sanders when the preseason begins this August.
The Browns will kick off the preseason on Aug. 8 against the Carolina Panthers.
Related: One ESPN Star Hated Shane Gillis’s Jokes At The ESPYs
Shedeur Sanders Skipped The ESPYs For A Very Good Reason first appeared on The Spun on Jul 17, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.