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Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Colorado fan suing NFL for $100M over Shedeur Sanders Draft Slide
When former University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders concluded his final collegiate season, he was in the conversation to be the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Entering draft night, he was widely regarded to be a potential top ten selection. So when he slid all the way down to the fifth round, on the draft's final day, it shocked pretty much everybody. The Cleveland Browns then picked the son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders with the 144th overall selection. One Colorado fan, who remains anonymous, took the Sanders tumble (which seems, at least partially, somewhat self-inflicted) pretty hard. Filed under the name "John Doe," this man is suing the NFL for $100 million in punitive damages. Advertisement Yes, nine figures, "for the harm caused to the Plaintiff and the impact of the NFL's actions on his emotional well being," according to the court documents, publicized by MSNBC. The lawsuit claims that the NFL is in Violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act (a law that most people equate with punishing monopolistic behavior, but in this case, the fan is accusing the teams of collusion), Violation of the Civil Rights Act, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress and Trauma and Violations of Consumer Protection Laws. Yes, he's serious. This isn't from an article in The Onion or anything. On a personal, individual level, the Plaintiff is claiming that the Sanders slide caused him "frustration, disappointment and psychological harm as a fan." Advertisement Frustration, disappointment and psychological harm are basically part of the deal when you sign up to become a sports fan. This is more true for some teams than others. In the grand scheme of things, this feels like the very definition of a "first world problem," and the odds of Doe winning this lawsuit are laughably long. How laughably long? Your average undrafted free agent has a better chance of making it through camp, passing the final cut and winning a starting job for opening day. Obviously, the person who suffered the most from the Sanders slide is the rookie quarterback himself. And if he's actually very depressed about this, then he can use the royalties that he's going to get from the NFL shop to wipe away his tears. Shedeur Sanders is currently the top selling jersey in the NFL. This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: "John Doe" is suing the NFL for $100 million in punitive damages.
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Colorado fan suing NFL for $100M over Shedeur Sanders Draft Slide
Colorado fan suing NFL for $100M over Shedeur Sanders Draft Slide When former University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders concluded his final collegiate season, he was in the conversation to be the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Entering draft night, he was widely regarded to be a potential top ten selection. So when he slid all the way down to the fifth round, on the draft's final day, it shocked pretty much everybody. The Cleveland Browns then picked the son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders with the 144th overall selection. One Colorado fan, who remains anonymous, took the Sanders tumble (which seems, at least partially, somewhat self-inflicted) pretty hard. Filed under the name "John Doe," this man is suing the NFL for $100 million in punitive damages. Yes, nine figures, "for the harm caused to the Plaintiff and the impact of the NFL's actions on his emotional well being," according to the court documents, publicized by MSNBC. The lawsuit claims that the NFL is in Violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act (a law that most people equate with punishing monopolistic behavior, but in this case, the fan is accusing the teams of collusion), Violation of the Civil Rights Act, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress and Trauma and Violations of Consumer Protection Laws. Yes, he's serious. This isn't from an article in The Onion or anything. On a personal, individual level, the Plaintiff is claiming that the Sanders slide caused him "frustration, disappointment and psychological harm as a fan." Frustration, disappointment and psychological harm are basically part of the deal when you sign up to become a sports fan. This is more true for some teams than others. In the grand scheme of things, this feels like the very definition of a "first world problem," and the odds of Doe winning this lawsuit are laughably long. How laughably long? Your average undrafted free agent has a better chance of making it through camp, passing the final cut and winning a starting job for opening day. Obviously, the person who suffered the most from the Sanders slide is the rookie quarterback himself. And if he's actually very depressed about this, then he can use the royalties that he's going to get from the NFL shop to wipe away his tears. Shedeur Sanders is currently the top selling jersey in the NFL.
Fox Sports
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Distressed Colorado fan files $100M against NFL for Shedeur Sanders' draft slide
Shedeur Sanders' slide in the 2025 NFL Draft was quite surprising and shocking to many, as he fell to the fifth round before the Cleveland Browns took him with the 144th overall pick. It was also allegedly hurtful to someone other than Sanders. An anonymous fan has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the NFL in punitive damages for "the harm caused to the Plaintiff and the impact of the NFL's actions on his emotional well being," court documents obtained by MSNBC read. The complaint was filed by someone using the pseudonym "John Doe" in Georgia federal court. In the filing, the plaintiff claimed that he's a Colorado fan and felt that reports suggesting that Sanders "tanked interviews," "wasn't prepared," and "was too cocky" were unfair to the former Colorado quarterback. "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," a line from the court document read. "John Doe" claimed that the NFL violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, alleging that there was "collusion among NFL teams to influence the drafting process and the subsequent low selection of Shedeur Sanders." He also claimed that the NFL violated the Civil Rights Act, alleging that "decisions made regarding Sanders may have been influenced by racial discrimination, violating his rights as a player." The plaintiff's other claims for relief include Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress and Trauma, due to "dissemination of slanderous statements have caused severe emotional distress and trauma," and Violations of Consumer Protection Laws, alleging that the NFL "may have engaged in unfair practices by misrepresenting the nature of the drafting process and the qualifications of players." In addition to the $100 million, the lawsuit is seeking "a formal acknowledgment from the NFL regarding the emotional distress caused by its actions and statement," a retraction of "slanderous statements" made about Sanders, an apology for "any harm caused" to Sanders' reputation and an "implementation of fairer practices in the drafting process to ensure that talented players are recognized and given opportunities based on merit." In the days leading up to the NFL Draft, the vast majority of mock drafts projected that Sanders would be a first-round pick, with some predicting that he could be picked as high as No. 3 overall. Most draft evaluators, at least in the media, had Sanders rated as the second-best quarterback in the draft class as well. However, Sanders didn't improve his stock when he met with teams during the pre-draft process. Multiple league sources expressed to FOX Sports' Henry McKenna that Sanders "didn't come out of his pre-draft interviews with impressive results." "He's a good person, but people didn't like the personality," a league source told FOX Sports on Sanders. "He's the biggest celebrity since Johnny Manziel to enter the draft." Additionally, a team with a top-seven draft pick asked Sanders to study its playbook for an install ahead of an interview and instead, he asked the team how they planned to support him, according to McKenna. Ultimately, the Browns wound up taking Sanders two rounds after selecting Dillon Gabriel, making him the sixth quarterback selected in the 2025 draft. He'll join a quarterback room that includes veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson, although Watson is expected to miss the entire 2025 season after re-injuring his Achilles. The Browns have expressed that Sanders will get the opportunity to compete for the starting job as he'll join the team for rookie minicamp starting Friday. As Sanders looks to battle for the Browns' starting job, the plaintiff might get an answer on his lawsuit quickly. "John Doe" filed the lawsuit "In Forma Pauperis" because he's unable to pay the filing fees associated with the complaint. In this scenario, the courts will often determine if the lawsuit is "frivolous," with that determination possibly coming soon and could lead to a dismissal, according to MSNBC. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
