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Donald Trump berates NFL franchises for ignoring Shedeur Sanders in draft

Trump has had some involvement in professional football in the past. He owned the United States Football League's New Jersey Generals in the 1980s.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) takes part in passing drills during Colorado's NFL football pro day Friday, April 4, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo)

One would think that a US President wouldn’t have a paucity of issues to comment on, but trust Donald Trump to delve into matters which usually shouldn’t concern the White House. On Friday, he trained his guns on National Football League (NFL) franchises for ignoring quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the first round of the draft at Green Bay, Wisconsin.

“What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID? Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness,” Trump posted on his platform Truth Social. “He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!”

Not that the President’s exhortations influenced the franchises too much, as Sanders went unsold in the second and third round of the draft as well.

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Trump has had some involvement in professional football in the past. He owned the United States Football League’s New Jersey Generals in the 1980s.

Shedeur has had an impressive college career with Colorado Buffaloes. He led the country with a 74 percent completion rate last season. He threw for 4,134 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Shedeur’s father Deion, a former NFL and Major League Baseball player, is the head coach at Colorado Buffaloes. Sheldon played for his father for four years, including two when they were at Jackson State.

Deion won two Super Bowl titles and appeared in a World Series, and is the only player to be part of the two mega American sporting events. He has been inducted into the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Shedeur’s skill-set was expected to be attractive for several teams going into the draft, but it’s believed that his interview skills and overly confident public demeanour had something to do with him being ignored.

“Thank you GOD for EVERYTHING”, Shedeur posted to X late on Friday.