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Robert Griffin III responded to reports of Deion Sanders claiming that top players Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders could “Pull an Eli” and refuse to go to certain teams in the 2025 NFL Draft. He believes they have every right to do so as the college football landscape continues to change.
“This is the player empowerment age,” RGIII said during a Get Up segment on ESPN. He thinks it could become a trend as players continue to realize their worth.
Original reports of the potential draft refusals arose last week when Coach Prime threatened to restrict the “wrong team” from selecting those Colorado stars, both of whom could very well be top five picks.
“I know where I want them to go,” he said. “There’s certain cities, where I know it ain’t gonna happen. It’s gonna be an ‘Eli.'”
Sanders references Eli Manning and his father, Archie, refusing to play for San Diego. Could the same happen for Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter?
RGIII could see it happening!
Griffin tended to agree with that line of thinking, justifying that potential decision as the amateur landscape continues to evolve.
Robert Griffin III responds to Deion Sanders saying Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will pull Eli Mannings to avoid playing in certain cities when they get drafted.
“The power shift is coming, so everyone needs to buckle up… without the players, all of these sports leagues… pic.twitter.com/fvVBKTZPB2
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 25, 2024
“The power shift is coming, so everyone needs to buckle up,” he said. “Deion Sanders saying that Shedeur and Travis Hunter are going to ‘Pull an Eli’ doesn’t surprise me at all… They are empowered. They know that they can control their own narratives… They don’t have to do the status quo. They don’t have to sit here and answer to whatever they’re told to do.
“Without the players, all of these sports leagues are nothing. This is the player empowerment age, and you’re seeing it come to the NFL”
A bold take, though as Griffin notes, we’re already seeing it happen to an extent.
The NFL Combine gave the perfect example, seeing stars like Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. sit out drills – and in Williams’ case the medical exam, too.
A shift seems to be coming, and we could witness it firsthand in next year’s draft.