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After NFL quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders was not selected in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday, many critics debated why on social media.
Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman joined the debate Friday, suggesting the reason Sanders slid was because “America continues to fear strong black men.” Bowman also compared the 23-year-old quarterback to former NFL star Eli Manning, who refused to play for the San Diego Chargers after being selected with the No. 1 pick in 2004.
“The NFL doesn’t like [Shedeur]Sanders because he wears gold chains and talks like a rapper. They don’t care that he’s a leader, intelligent, tough and completed 77% of his passes with no O-line and no running game. He’s entitled but Eli Manning wasn’t entitled when he refused to be drafted by San Diego?” Bowman wrote on X.
“He’s not athletic, but that didn’t stop Joe Montana, Drew Brees or Tom Brady. America continues to fear strong black men who come from means and have a strong sense of themselves without submitting to the ‘dominant’ culture.”
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Bowman added in the video that he expects the Cleveland Browns to select Sanders with the first pick of the second round Friday night.
“It’s the way Shedeur dresses. It’s the way he talks, and it’s his culture, in my opinion. You see him at the draft last night. He’s wearing all black. He got the L chain on, and he talks like a rapper,” Bowman said.
The first player selected in the draft was former Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who is also Black. Twenty-five of the 32 players selected in the first round Friday were Black men.
Broadcasts of the draft offered regular shots from inside the Sanders household in Texas as the family waited for Shedeur’s name to be called.
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The shots showed the family had installed a multi-layer shelf that included a cap for all 32 NFL teams. But the 23-year-old aspiring pro did not get to put any of them on in celebration Thursday.
At one point during the quarterback’s slide, his other brother, NFL safety prospect Shilo Sanders, insisted “something is going on” with Shedeur not being selected.
“Bro, if they don’t take you right now, it’s something going on,” Shilo said. “If they don’t take him right now, it’s something going on. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s something.”
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In footage posted by Deion Jr., Shedeur addressed not being taken in a speech to his family when the first night of the draft was over.
“We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God, anything possible, everything possible. I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All of this is, of course, fuel to the fire. Under no circumstances did we all know this was going to happen, but we understand we on to bigger and better things,” the quarterback said.
“Tomorrow’s the day. We going to be happy regardless. Legendary.”
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