It’s been less than a week since Shedeur Sanders slid out of round 1 (initially, at least) in the NFL Draft and subsequently caused pandemonium. It feels like an eternity, perhaps because it’s been discussed ad nauseam. There are a lot of underlying facets and wrinkles as to what nudged him towards freefall. Hypotheticals, theories, and somewhat credible reports have helped piece together the puzzle. But at the crux of what’s believed to be the reason for Shedeur slipping from a projected first-rounder to 144th overall isn’t a reason that spawns from the gridiron. It’s his eccentric persona off it. A persona that’s still attracting trouble even after the dust has settled on the draft itself. Trouble that has forced his brother, Deion Sanders Jr., aka Bucky, into action.

Shedeur Sanders got drafted belatedly based on what his skill, in a vacuum, deserved. The ordeal over three days of the draft was a mess that transcended football and extended to the White House. But getting drafted is still an unparalleled moment. It’s a euphoria that athletes work towards all their lives. All the blood, sweat, and tears are finally being reciprocated. Even though Shedeur may feel belittled by the circumstances, he managed to secure a draft spot in the NFL after all. Naturally, there was a Sanders-esque celebration to follow. Pictures of his celebratory party hit the air and went viral in the aftermath – not only because of the guests in attendance or the pageantry – but because Shedeur was holding a boatload of cash in one of the pictures. It turns out that it was no less than a million dollars, as confirmed by Deion Jr. himself.

Bucky Sanders took to X and addressed the rumors circulating about the said party. However, he was actually addressing the alleged smear campaign on Shedeur Sanders and the rest of the family. He quoted a post that mentioned Shedeur “flexing over a $100k in cash” at the party.

“Let’s tell the correct story now…It was actually a gift that he received…. and it was a million,” he wrote. On the surface level, this just comes across as an entitled boast. Entitlement, which is supposedly at the core of why Shedeur slid in the draft. But something tells you Bucky Sanders wasn’t trying to boast. He was being sarcastic, announcing that they don’t care what the masses think about them. Double down on what people perceive the Sanders rather than shy away from it. Well, if that really was the case, this message didn’t get across too well!

In the comments section of the aforementioned post, Bucky Sanders got into it with a couple of people. One person commented along the lines of Shedeur Sanders being a potential “distraction” in the locker room with his outlandish lifestyle and antics. And how he needs to keep his head down and “prove himself” after sliding to round 5 because of said antics. This isn’t an unfair stance to take after seeing a rookie hold a million dollars in an LV case before he’s played a single snap of professional football. However, Bucky Sanders’ response wasn’t irrational either. “In football, everybody knows that you have 24 hours to celebrate.. after that, it’s back to work. Bro worked his whole life for that day,” he said.

Another commenter mentioned how Deion Sanders Jr. was choosing to address this picture of Shedeur holding cash rather than the “TONS” of other, more onerous allegations surrounding him. Like how he was unprepared for a meeting with Brian Daboll and the Giants, for instance. Something that was a big factor in them pivoting to Jaxson Dart instead. To this, Bucky took the proverbial high road. He wrote, “They can be as mad as they want to, my brother. The blessings came from above also.” It’s currently unknown who gifted Shedeur Sanders that much money. But you’ve got to think it was his father, Deion Sanders – Whose unmitigated involvement in his son’s career, and by extension business, has also come under scrutiny.

Deion Sanders catches flak for the NFL’s negative reception of Shedeur Sanders

Deion Sanders is synonymous with polarizing. Alongside his athletic prowess, it’s this quality that has somehow permeated through to Shedeur Sanders as well. But if there’s one thing about Prime that doesn’t divide opinion, it’s how much of a proactive father he is. However, this trait can be interpreted in both positive and negative ways. There’s a fine line between being proactive and being overbearing. Deion being eyed as a package deal for Shedeur was a potential deterrent, causing franchises to pass on him multiple times.

In the aftermath of Shedeur’s unprecedented slide, FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd alluded to how Deion Sanders and his outspoken nature may have been a factor. He also brought up Deion’s comments about directing Shedeur away from certain unnamed franchises. Akin to how John Elway and Eli Manning explicitly told some teams not to draft them in their time. This may have rubbed people the wrong way, especially because Shedeur wasn’t the same ilk of prospect as those two. Fanning the flames of the notion that he’s an entitled brat. Which isn’t necessarily true, mind you. But it’s a difficult tag to dismiss when you’re getting gifted more money than your annual salary in the NFL upon being drafted.

To be fair to Shedeur Sanders, his public statements have always been positive. Saying the right kind of stuff, or actually, the stuff people in the NFL want to hear. Looking ahead, he’d want to regain the reputation and pride he lost over the weekend by playing good football. 5th-round QBs are almost always drafted to be backups. However, Shedeur may not yet have an opportunity to start week 1 for the Cleveland Browns. Depending on how he does in camp, the discourse around Shedeur could flip really quickly.