Shedeur Sanders fan sues NFL for $100 million over ‘emotional distress' caused by low draft pick
A crestfallen Shedeur Sanders enthusiast is suing the NFL for $100 million over the much-hyped quarterback's disappointing fifth-round draft pick, claiming he suffered 'emotional distress and trauma… as a fan and consumer' because the 23-year-old phenom wasn't selected earlier.
'It was immediate frustration,' the fan, who filed the federal lawsuit as 'John Doe,' told The Independent, on the condition his real name not be published. 'This guy was projected to be the first or second pick, no later than the top five, and to watch mediocre players be chosen before him… it was frustrating.'
Doe, 55, described draft day as 'one of the biggest days' of a player's life.
'And to have all the NFL owners collude and not draft him, it was mentally frustrating and debilitating,' Doe, who said he has no personal connection to Sanders, went on. 'For them to believe that they can just do this and there's no recourse, it has to stop.'
The Cleveland Browns ultimately picked up Sanders, a standout player at the University of Colorado and the son of NFL legend and current Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, 144th overall on the third day of last month's pro draft. Multiple reports blamed Sanders's allegedly vainglorious attitude during the pre-draft process as a major reason for his regrettable showing; one NFL front office exec told NBC Sports that the pro hopeful behaved as if he was being 'recruited,' not as if he was being 'interviewed' for a roster spot.
As for Doe's 'collusion' allegation, the notion has already been shot down by NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter, who said last week on 'The Art Of Dialogue' podcast that Sanders and his famous dad 'overplayed their hand.'
Some fans have suggested owners agreed not to draft Sanders as a way to punish him for his dad's intense messaging and hype around the quarterback.
Doe, who owns a small logistics company in the Atlanta area, is representing himself in court. He said on Monday that he used a pseudonym in an effort to shield his business from the spotlight as he pursues his admittedly peculiar claim. ('The Court offers no opinion on the propriety of Plaintiff filing this action under the pseudonym 'John Doe,'' Magistrate Judge Christopher Bly wrote in an order allowing Doe, who claims he is unable to afford the customary filing fees, to proceed without upfront payment.)
An NFL spokesman did not respond on Monday to a request for comment.
Doe, according to his May 2 suit, is a 'dedicated fan of Colorado football and has closely followed Shedeur Sanders throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons.' It says he attended the first game Sanders played for the Colorado Buffaloes on September 2, 2023, against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs, 'witnessing first-hand Sanders' exceptional talent and potential as a quarterback in Coach Deion Sanders' debut with the program.'
Yet, Doe's suit continues, despite Sanders' 'demonstrated skills and significant attention' from professional teams over the past two years, he was left hanging until Day 3 of the 2025 draft.
'Reports and leaked statements suggested that Sanders ''tanked interviews,' 'wasn't prepared,' and 'was too cocky,' which contributed to a narrative that has unjustly harmed his reputation and potential as a player,' Doe's suit contends. 'These slanderous statements reflect biases that influenced the NFL's decision-making process, causing emotional distress and trauma to the Plaintiff as a fan and consumer.'
Doe alleges in his suit that the NFL violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, claiming team owners unfairly conspired 'to influence the drafting process… [and] to restrain trade and limit competition within the league,' that the 'decisions made regarding Sanders may have been influenced by racial discrimination, violating his rights as a player,' that the NFL 'may have engaged in unfair practices by misrepresenting the nature of the drafting process and the qualifications of players,' and that the league's 'actions and the dissemination of slanderous statements have caused severe emotional distress and trauma to the Plaintiff, resulting in frustration, disappointment, and psychological harm as a fan.'
Aside from the $100 million in punitive damages Doe is seeking for the 'impact of the NFL's actions on his emotional well-being,' he is also asking the NFL for a 'formal acknowledgment… regarding the emotional distress caused by their actions and statements,' an apology and retraction of 'the slanderous statements made about Shedeur Sanders,' and the '[i]mplementation of fairer practices in the drafting process to ensure that talented players are recognized and given opportunities based on merit.'
However, as law professor Eugene Volokh wrote for Reason, Doe's case 'is going nowhere.' His claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress is flimsy, at best, and Doe does not have standing to bring such a case, according to Volokh. Further, he argued, Doe's contention regarding the NFL's supposed unfair practices is 'too vague to analyze.'
'I expect the court to indeed promptly dismiss it as frivolous,' Volokh wrote.
Doe told The Independent that he calculated the $100 million figure based upon his own 'emotional distress,' plus 'the amount of money that [Shedeur] lost by being the 144th pick.' (On 'The Art of Dialogue,' Cris Carter estimated that Sanders's late pick reduced his earnings by as much as $50 million.) When asked if he would offer to share any windfall with Sanders, were Doe to win his case, he said he would 'probably donate part of the proceeds to some local football associations to help the youth.'
Doe said he believes 'the NFL needs to be on alert,' even though he is fully aware he faces 'an uphill battle.'
'I don't have a legal team in place yet, and I am still trying to find [one] that would assist in this endeavor,' Doe said. 'I just want people to know that whenever they're feeling like they have no power, that there is always a way for you to gain power. The court system in the U.S. was established so that everyone could be heard. I believe that the NFL thinks that they're above the law and that they can just conduct business any kind of way that they choose to.'
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