Shedeur Sanders left the college football life behind him a while ago, but it tails him everywhere like his shadow, even at the ESPYs. Comedian Shane Gillis, host of the 2025 ESPYs, took an unhinged swipe at Shedeur and his father, Deion Sanders.
Gillis made a name for himself through observational comedy and black and blue humor. Observational comedy is self-explanatory. Gillis basically sees satire in nearly everything. From sensitive topics such as the Epstein List to a door noob at a Starbucks, nothing is safe from his humor.
On Wednesday, it was Shedeur Sanders who became Gillis’ guinea pig. He took a dig at the University of Colorado, retiring his jersey number.
Shedeur Sanders had his jersey number retired at Colorado this year and people are saying it’s because of nepotism. Because of his father [Deion Sanders] and it’s not. It’s because he went 13-12 over his [college] career and almost won the Alamo Bowl… Definitely not nepotism, right?
Shane Gillis said
The camera switched to Lamar Jackson in the audience, who could not stop himself from giggling at the joke.
Shedeur Sanders must block out the noise to succeed in the NFL
Shedeur received notoriety after winning multiple Division II titles with Jackson State. He followed his NFL Hall of Fame father and coach to Colorado.
In his first season at Colorado, the program won 4 games in 11 tries, but Sanders showed flashes of brilliance in pockets. The Buffaloes witnessed a significant turnaround in the following season, finishing second behind BYU in the Big 12 conference with 9 wins and played in a Bowl game for the first time since 2020.
Gillis purposefully left out the Alamo Bowl’s outcome. BYU scored 36 points on Sanders’ Buffaloes, increasing the Colorado program’s wait for its first Bowl win since 2004. Sanders bagged the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
The University retired Sanders’ and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter’s jersey. It raised ample eyebrows throughout the football community. Even former Colorado players, with significantly better records, weren’t pleased with the development.
Former Colorado quarterback Darian Hagan took a dig at the University for the decision.
It should not be at the discretion of the athletic director and the head coach… We were always told there was a waiting period. There was a policy in place. It had to be voted upon. I was never told that it was at the discretion of the athletic director or the head coach. That was shocking news to me. It was hard to stomach.
Hagan told USA Today Sports
Controversies followed Sanders to the draft. He slid down to the third day of the draft despite being touted as a top 10 pick. Additionally, he was pranked into believing he was being drafted early on.
The Cleveland Browns eventually drafted him in the fifth round. However, he signed up for a four-way quarterback battle with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel for the starting quarterback job.
Sanders is not ready to give up on his dreams of being a starter in the NFL. The world has seen Tom Brady winning seven rings despite being the 199th overall pick, so Sanders has every chance of walking in his footsteps and becoming a successful NFL quarterback.
