THE SINS OF THE FATHER

Why did the NFL humiliate Shedeur Sanders? The seeds of the answer lay in draft day 1989.

- Mitchell S. Jackson

A DREAMS-COME-TRUE AFFAIR, aka the NFL draft. Shedeur Sanders, projected first-round pick, hosted his big day at his Texas crib. As should be expected from a young man nurtured by Deion Sanders with a college career reported to have earned him upwards of $6 million in NIL deals, Shedeur was drip-tastic. A bomber embroidered with the logo of his brand, Legendary. He also flaunted the logo as a diamond-encrusted medallion and branded his special draft room with it. A room with big-screen TVs, mics and gear for live streaming, and a hella conspicuous shelf filled with hats for all 32 teams—one of whom Shedeur hoped would make him a high first-round pick.

Then the shock of his falling, falling, falling down the draft board.

Shedeur Deion Sanders: a player touted as a high first-round pick if not the first overall, who was the Big 12 offensive player of the year, who threw a Colorado-record 37 touchdowns, who led the FBS in completion percentage (74), who was fourth in FBS passing yards (4,134), a star sans major off-the-field scandals, who carried himself with poise in the glare of constant scrutiny. How did a player with such a stellar résumé fall past the fourth round?

Correction: Shedeur was knocked, pushed, held down. But why?

Part of the answer lay in draft day 1989. Shedeur’s pops beaming on a couch after the Atlanta Falcons made him a fifth-overall pick. “Looks like you're wearing your signing bonus here,” said the interviewer. Deion was bedecked in gold chains, three-finger rings, and a custom track jacket stitched with the logo of his brand, Prime Time. “I thought Detroit was gone take me,” said Deion. “I woulda asked for so much money that they would’ve had to put me on layaway.”