Browns Reporter Sends Message to Shedeur Sanders After Viral Confrontation

Newsweek

21 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders made headlines over the weekend for how he played on the field and what he did off of it after the game had ended.
Sanders threw for 138 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions while completing 60.8% of his passes in Cleveland's 30-10 win over the Carlina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium — earning the praise of many on social media and finding some slight vindication in the wake of the constant criticism he'd been under since the Browns drafted him 144th overall back in April.
One of Sanders' biggest critics over the last few months has been ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi, who had seemingly been skeptical of Sanders' ability to earn a spot on the team's 53-man roster heading into the regular season.
So after Sanders led the Browns to a win in their preseason opener, the 23-year-old QB didn't pass up an opportunity to confront Grossi about his constant negative coverage and ask him if he had anything positive to say about him after his performance.
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Shedeur Sanders addresses Cleveland-based sports journalist and Browns analyst Tony Grossi, who's known for being critical and biased toward him.
'You always say negative stuff about me. I didn't do nothing to you. I've never seen you say anything positive about me.'
(🎥: Well… pic.twitter.com/SGpmmyXF74 — The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 9, 2025
"Tony, I be hoping you got something positive to say about me," Sanders stated. "You only say negative stuff about me, and I'm like, 'I ain't do nothing to you.' I ain't seen nothing positive that you ever said [about me]."
Video of the altercation, taken by Sanders' brother Deion Sanders Jr., went viral on social media, garnering thousands of likes, shares and comments.
Because of the enormous amount of attention it got, Grossi likely felt obligated to addresses the incident during a recent ESPN Cleveland radio broadcast, in which he made it known that he actually respected Sanders for airing his grievances directly with him and not during his postgame media availability with everyone watching.
Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns looks on during the second half of an NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on August 08, 2025 in Charlotte, North...
Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns looks on during the second half of an NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on August 08, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. More"One thing to note was that I initiated the conversation," Grossi admitted. "He left the podium to walk to the locker room and I called his name to ask him another question. And that's when he discussed what was on his mind.
"I was a little surprised he went into that because as I said, it was inaudible but I said, 'Hey, this is your night man. This is a big night for you, have fun.' But I appreciated the fact that he did not say what was on his mind from the podium, which other quarterbacks have done with me, which is very uncomfortable."
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Grossi divulged that the only part of the interaction he actually had an issue with was the fact that it went public.
"I didn't appreciate the fact that this interaction was filmed without my knowledge," Grossi added. "It turns out, it was his brother, who is documenting everything from his rookie season. That's fine, just now that I'm aware of it, I'll be a little more careful and everything.
"But everybody that saw the video, it was good natured. I don't know what caused us to laugh, I really can't recall that conversation precisely. But we went on good terms."