{"id":118365,"date":"2025-05-08T13:59:18","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T21:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/05\/08\/fan-sues-nfl-for-emotional-distress-over-shedeur-sanders-draft\/"},"modified":"2025-05-08T13:59:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T21:59:18","slug":"fan-sues-nfl-for-emotional-distress-over-shedeur-sanders-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/05\/08\/fan-sues-nfl-for-emotional-distress-over-shedeur-sanders-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Fan Sues NFL For Emotional Distress Over Shedeur Sanders Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
(Photo by Perry Knotts\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a fine line between being passionate fandom and being downright crazy. Filing a federal lawsuit seeking $100 million in punitive damages from the NFL for the emotional distress of watching a favorite player not get drafted in the first round falls on the latter side of that line. <\/p>\n

A suit, filed pro se (naturally) in the Northern District of Georgia, alleges a vast NFL conspiracy to collude and depress Shedeur Sanders\u2019s draft stock, violating antitrust law, civil rights law, and consumer protection statutes. The plaintiff identifies himself as \u201cJohn Doe\u201d of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and\u2026 have we checked to make sure Deion doesn\u2019t have a house in Lawrenceville?<\/p>\n

That Doe now has to watch the Browns every week is not listed as an injury. But it should be.<\/p>\n

Doe describes himself as \u201ca dedicated fan of Colorado football\u201d who \u201chas closely followed Shedeur Sanders throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons.\u201d Apparently not closely enough if he still thought Shedeur was graded as a first-rounder. Or he only read Mel Kiper.<\/p>\n

\n

Plaintiff attended the Colorado Buffaloes\u2019 first game against the TCU Horned Frogs on September 2, 2023, witnessing firsthand Sanders\u2019 exceptional talent and potential as a quarterback in Coach Deion Sanders\u2019 debut with the program.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Hmm. I remember that game. What happened after that?<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Right. The Buffs finished 4-8 that year, though they chased it with a decent 9-4 campaign through the desiccated corpse of the Big XII before falling in the Alamo Bowl to conference rival BYU (realignment is weird). Sanders is a talented player who boasted a solid completion percentage though it\u2019s easy to get good completion numbers when you take unnecessary sacks whenever no one is open. Other than the aforementioned Kiper, analysts had moved their Sanders ratings out of the first-round well before the draft.<\/p>\n

Also, the plaintiff requests to go forward in forma pauperis<\/em>, lacking the funds to even pay the filing fees. Probably shouldn\u2019t have flown out to that TCU game. <\/p>\n

What the complaint gets right, however, is the cloud of nonsense that surrounded Sanders during the draft: <\/p>\n

\n

Reports and leaked statements suggested that Sanders \u201dtanked interviews,\u201d \u201cwasn\u2019t prepared,\u201d and \u201cwas too cocky,\u201d which contributed to a narrative that has unjustly harmed his reputation and potential as a player.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That definitely happened. Some of this might be due to not having an agent to prep him. And let\u2019s not underestimate how loud an echo chamber can get when Deion Sanders is in it. But it\u2019s one thing to adjust ratings and another to leak about it and the narrative created by all those leaks became disgustingly racially coded. It\u2019s a lazy narrative with an ugly history.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s quite a leap to get from there to a conspiracy.<\/p>\n

In fairness, I do<\/em> have my own conspiracy theory about this pick. Remember when Donald Trump posted about Shedeur\u2019s drop, leaning on teams to draft him \u201cIMMEDIATELY\u201d?<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fast forward from there to Shedeur getting drafted by the Browns even though they\u2019d already taken a quarterback and the shot of the Browns war room showed the coach and GM clapping like they were in a hostage video. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is a known GOP donor. COINCIDENCE?!?!? Here\u2019s a clip from last week\u2019s Dan LeBatard Show where I got namechecked for this theory:<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Of course, even that theory doesn\u2019t warrant a federal lawsuit. <\/p>\n

The complaint ends by demanding an apology, a retraction of \u201cslanderous statements,\u201d and $100 million for the plaintiff\u2019s \u201cemotional distress and trauma.\u201d I regret to inform you that \u201cyour favorite team hurt your feelings\u201d is not yet a legally cognizable injury. <\/p>\n

And as soon as it is, Jets fans are going to send someone to the electric chair.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Headshot\"Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Fan Sues NFL For Emotional Distress Over Shedeur Sanders Draft<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
(Photo by Perry Knotts\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a fine line between being passionate fandom and being downright crazy. Filing a federal lawsuit seeking $100 million in punitive damages from the NFL for the emotional distress of watching a favorite player not get drafted in the first round falls on the latter side of that line. <\/p>\n

A suit, filed pro se (naturally) in the Northern District of Georgia, alleges a vast NFL conspiracy to collude and depress Shedeur Sanders\u2019s draft stock, violating antitrust law, civil rights law, and consumer protection statutes. The plaintiff identifies himself as \u201cJohn Doe\u201d of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and\u2026 have we checked to make sure Deion doesn\u2019t have a house in Lawrenceville?<\/p>\n

That Doe now has to watch the Browns every week is not listed as an injury. But it should be.<\/p>\n

Doe describes himself as \u201ca dedicated fan of Colorado football\u201d who \u201chas closely followed Shedeur Sanders throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons.\u201d Apparently not closely enough if he still thought Shedeur was graded as a first-rounder. Or he only read Mel Kiper.<\/p>\n

\n

Plaintiff attended the Colorado Buffaloes\u2019 first game against the TCU Horned Frogs on September 2, 2023, witnessing firsthand Sanders\u2019 exceptional talent and potential as a quarterback in Coach Deion Sanders\u2019 debut with the program.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Hmm. I remember that game. What happened after that?<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Right. The Buffs finished 4-8 that year, though they chased it with a decent 9-4 campaign through the desiccated corpse of the Big XII before falling in the Alamo Bowl to conference rival BYU (realignment is weird). Sanders is a talented player who boasted a solid completion percentage though it\u2019s easy to get good completion numbers when you take unnecessary sacks whenever no one is open. Other than the aforementioned Kiper, analysts had moved their Sanders ratings out of the first-round well before the draft.<\/p>\n

Also, the plaintiff requests to go forward in forma pauperis<\/em>, lacking the funds to even pay the filing fees. Probably shouldn\u2019t have flown out to that TCU game. <\/p>\n

What the complaint gets right, however, is the cloud of nonsense that surrounded Sanders during the draft: <\/p>\n

\n

Reports and leaked statements suggested that Sanders \u201dtanked interviews,\u201d \u201cwasn\u2019t prepared,\u201d and \u201cwas too cocky,\u201d which contributed to a narrative that has unjustly harmed his reputation and potential as a player.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That definitely happened. Some of this might be due to not having an agent to prep him. And let\u2019s not underestimate how loud an echo chamber can get when Deion Sanders is in it. But it\u2019s one thing to adjust ratings and another to leak about it and the narrative created by all those leaks became disgustingly racially coded. It\u2019s a lazy narrative with an ugly history.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s quite a leap to get from there to a conspiracy.<\/p>\n

In fairness, I do<\/em> have my own conspiracy theory about this pick. Remember when Donald Trump posted about Shedeur\u2019s drop, leaning on teams to draft him \u201cIMMEDIATELY\u201d?<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fast forward from there to Shedeur getting drafted by the Browns even though they\u2019d already taken a quarterback and the shot of the Browns war room showed the coach and GM clapping like they were in a hostage video. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is a known GOP donor. COINCIDENCE?!?!? Here\u2019s a clip from last week\u2019s Dan LeBatard Show where I got namechecked for this theory:<\/p>\n