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It’s pretty safe to assume Shedeur Sanders wasn’t exactly thrilled with the outcome of the 2025 NFL Draft based on how long it took for his name to be called. However, that slide apparently hit one Colorado football fan pretty hard when you consider it compelled them to sue the NFL for $100 million.
Shedeur Sanders is far from the first player to see their stock take a hit in the leadup to the NFL Draft, but there aren’t many prospects who’ve been forced to endure a more meteoric fall by the time everything was said and done.
It initially seemed like there was a solid chance the quarterback would be selected at some point in the first round after he wrapped up his time at Colorado, but teams became increasingly wary thanks in no small part to what have widely been painted as some absolutely disastrous in-person interviews.
Five QBs were ultimately picked before the Browns scooped up Sanders in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick—a slide that cost him tens of millions of dollars when you compare the contract he’ll end up receiving to the one he would have gotten if he’d gone off the board a couple of days before.
According to The Independent, that development did not sit well with an unidentified Georgia man who has decided to take the NFL to court by filing a lawsuit seeking $100 million for the “emotional distress” he says he was forced to endure while watching Sanders endure the slide that emerged as the biggest story line of this year’s NFL Draft.
The 55-year-old owner of a logistics company and self-professed fan of Colorado football named himself as “John Doe” in the lawsuit he filed in a US District Court on May 2nd before speaking with the outlet to explain the reasoning behind the move, saying:
“It was immediate frustration. 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.”
And to have all the NFL owners collude and not draft him, it was mentally frustrating and debilitating. For them to believe that they can just do this and there’s no recourse, it has to stop.”
The legal argument hinges on a purported violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act stemming from allegations that NFL teams collectively agreed to pass on Sanders until the later rounds.
The filing also asserts there may have been a racial element and justifies the $100 million sum being sought by saying “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.”
All signs point to this being a fairly elaborate bit that I can’t help but credit the fan in question for fully committing to, as I can’t imagine any scenario where the NFL would end up forking over a single penny due to what seems to be the textbook definition of a “frivolous lawsuit.”
With that said, the league’s legal team will probably have to spend some time addressing this, so at least “Doe” (who is representing himself) can take some solace in knowing he was able to hit them in the wallet even if he ends up losing the case.