By Scott Salomon
You are going to have to excuse Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders for missing the Colorado Buffaloes' first team meeting of the new year. You see, they had a modeling gig for Louis Vuitton in Paris.
What's next? Shedeur misses practice or a game for a GQ modeling gig? Where do you draw the line? This is an instan ce where NIL has gone too far. When NIL shticks interfere with team meetings or other team-related activities, a line must be drawn in the sand.
And you wonder why the Buffs played so poorly on the field last season. It looks like the same "Me First" mentality will riddle the locker room as it did last season. Deion Sanders would sanction any other player for missing a team meeting, especially the first one, but his boys had a valid, selfish reason not to be there.
The Brothers Sanders linked up with Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Pharrell Williams in Paris and modeled the Louis Vuitton men's line at the 2024 Louis Vuitton Men's Fall-Winter show.
If they get ripped when they get back to campus and model their Nike athletic wear for their teammates in off-season workouts, they would deserve it.
Deion is giving preferential treatment to his sons and allowing them to miss an important team meeting in exchange for a few bucks and some publicity for them and their dad. Shedeur was quoted as saying that this gig was a "bucket list" item for him.
Hence, the term "Daddy Ball" comes to mind once again.
The quarterback and the safety wore camouflaged clothing as they walked down the runway, doing their best Cindy Crawford imitation. They looked like they were getting ready for a Duck Dynasty taping.
Deion Sanders, Jr. chronicled the entire event on YouTube and Instagram.
You can see early on in the video that Shilo asked Shedeur about his hair and whether he was going to get it touched up. Shedeur responded that he was going to wear a hat, so that it was not necessary.
Do you think Shilo asks the same thing before he puts a helmet on before games?
"How can we get our hands on some merch?" Shilo Sanders asked Williams.
"We got you. ... And I got to send your dad [Deion] some stuff because I know he be [representing] crazy," Williams said.
If you didn't think that seeing Shedeur showing his watch off after games, can you imagine what it will be like when their lockers are filled with LV merchandise?
When Coach Prime arrived in Boulder at his first press conference, he said that he was bringing his own luggage (read: players) and that it was Louis Vuitton. Who would have thought at the time that the luggage would be rerouted to Paris?
The luggage must have been the knockoffs that you can buy on Canal Street in NYC due to the fact that they were only good for four weeks en route to a 4-8 Colorado football season.
Williams told the Duo that they were multi-dimensional and that they should just go with it and get as used to the runway as they do the gridiron.
"You already are (multi-dimensional). It's just that society makes you think that you're not when you aspire to be other things," Williams said. "But you guys do so many things already. So, "you don't want to be.." If I were you, I would change that language to "I am multi-dimensional." You know what I'm saying. Let them know you're already that."
Shedeur and Shilo will be flying out Wednesday evening, and the plan to be ready to work out with their teammates on Thursday.
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College football is a big business these days, and quarterbacks are among the biggest beneficiaries in the system. Just look at the numbers. On3’s Pete Nakos released a list on Thursday of their site's valuations for how much money each quarterback in college football could be making. They have Arch Manning as the runaway leader with a valuation of $6.8M. Carson Beck, who was enticed to leave Georgia and transfer to Miami, is second at $4.3M. No other quarterback on the list has a valuation greater than $4M, though everyone else in the top 10 has a valuation above $3M. Those are estimated figures about a quarterback’s NIL value based on their popularity, name recognition, demand as a transfer and social media following. There is plenty of money to be made in college football, which is why many quarterbacks who have questionable futures as a professional try to extend their eligibility. Some have even taken a legal route to stay in school longer, which is a concept that would have been unheard of years ago. Manning having the highest valuation at nearly double many of the other top quarterbacks is not a surprise. He is going to be the starting quarterback at one of the most premium-brand schools in Texas. He also has more name recognition than anyone in college football since he is carrying on the Manning family quarterback legacy. Manning does not take full advantage of his ability to make money and instead is more selective about what endorsement deals he signs. He was even able to negotiate with EA Sports separately to appear in their video game. The real trick for Manning will be to live up to the hype. Texas has made the College Football Playoff two years in a row, including the national championship game last season. The only way to exceed that is by winning it all this season.
Brian Robinson‘s tenure with the Washington Commanders is coming to an end as expected. The fourth-year running back will spend the coming season in San Francisco. The San Francisco 49ers and Commanders agreed to terms on a Robinson trade Friday, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A 2026 sixth-round pick will head the other way as a result of the swap. San Francisco had been in the market for a backfield addition, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Efforts to pull off a move have now paid off ahead of roster cutdowns. Washington will retain a portion of Robinson’s 2025 salary ($3.4M), Garafolo adds. It recently became clear Washington was looking to move on from Robinson, who did not dress in the team’s second preseason game, with a trade looming. The team’s Dan Quinn-Adam Peters regime has been open to a trade since last year, and with a swap now agreed to it will proceed with its other in-house RB options. Washington has veteran Austin Ekeler in the fold along with 2023 draftee Chris Rodriguez and seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has enjoyed a strong training camp. Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Commanders in rushing last year, and today’s deal indicates he will once again be counted on as a central element of the team’s ground game. Expectations are high after Washington made a surprise run to the NFC title game during Daniels’ rookie campaign. Robinson will not play a role in the team’s efforts to duplicate that success, though. Racking up 570 carries across his three seasons in the nation’s capital, Robinson was a key figure on offense with the Commanders. The former third-rounder saw his touchdown total and yards per attempt figure increase with each passing campaign. That included eight scores and 4.3 yards per carry in 2024. Instead of retaining Robinson on the final year of his rookie pact, however, Washington will proceed with a less expensive backfield. The Commanders will recoup draft capital in this swap, something which is needed given the number of veterans on their roster. For the 49ers, meanwhile, today’s deal marks another addition on offense for the 2025 season. A trade was worked out on Wednesday for Skyy Moore, giving San Francisco a healthy receiver option. Moore, like Robinson, is a pending 2026 free agent. The 49ers have Christian McCaffrey atop the RB depth chart, and all parties involved will aim for a healthier season this time around than 2024. After trading away Jordan Mason, the team was in position to have 2024 fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo handle backup duties. Now, he and Robinson will compete for playing time in the backfield (although using McCaffrey and Robinson on the field together could be an option, per Garafolo). Robinson’s market will of course be dictated in large part by the level of success he has with his new team. San Francisco entered Friday with nearly $49M in cap space. Taking on Robinson will eat into the figure, and it will be interesting to see how much Washington retained on his pact to finalize the trade. The Commanders, meanwhile, should see partial cap savings and thus add to their roughly $17M in available funds ahead of cutdowns. As both NFC teams prepare for the campaign in the coming days, they will do so with differences in their backfields.
The Chicago Bears roughed up their preseason opponents, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, at joint practices this month. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson said the coaching staff has been trying to walk the line of being aggressive but not going overboard. Sometimes the Bears are going too hard, overdoing it at times. “I mean, even (defensive coordinator) Dennis Allen, he’s telling defense we live every day in practice,” Johnson told Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson during an appearance on “Night Cap” Thursday night. “So just really that mentality, as far as going and playing physical is, like, really, just honestly overdoing it really is the thing… What we say, like, toe the line, toe the line line between going too far and really pushing the limits.” Jaylon Johnson notices a big difference in the 2025 Chicago Bears Johnson has missed much of training camp due to a leg injury. He missed the physical practice between the Dolphins and Bears that had Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald complaining about how Allen was coaching up his defense. Johnson said that the entire coaching staff under new head coach Ben Johnson wants a tough and physical culture like has been seen in recent years with the Detroit Lions. “We’re gonna execute,” Jaylon said. “And it’s like, nah, it’s just about whooping the guys in front of you, like, really, like dominating and instilling your will. And I think really just preaching that goes a long way. Because I feel like even in Detroit, for a long time, they didn’t have talented guys, but they had a lot of guys that had grit, as they like to say over there, and guys that work hard, that are tough, and things like that.” Johnson is embracing the change. The Bears should. Dan Campbell’s teams have been successful in recent years in Detroit. The culture is certainly better than the one that folded under Matt Eberflus last season.
The Indiana Fever’s injury nightmare grew worse Friday night in a 95–90 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, as two more players were sidelined and the team’s WNBA playoff chase hit another hurdle. The defeat marked Indiana’s 14th straight game without superstar Caitlin Clark, who remains out with a right groin injury with no timetable for return. The latest blows could force a roster shake-up before Sunday’s rematch in Minneapolis at 7 p.m. ET. Chloe Bibby and Odyssey Sims Added to Indiana Fever Injury List Against Lynx Forward Chloe Bibby was unexpectedly ruled out of the Lynx game on the Fever's official injury report because of a left knee injury. Head coach Stephanie White described the move as a "precaution." She said Bibby felt something in warmups after experiencing soreness in recent days. Point guard Odyssey Sims started the game but went back to the locker room in the fourth quarter after asking for a substitution and limping off the court. She returned to the bench but did not re-enter the game. White did not provide any details on what Sims injured or how serious it was in the postgame press conference, but said Sims and Bibby will be evaluated on Saturday. Hardship Contract Options Come Into Play The Fever were already withoutSophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson for the season, with the trio each suffering season-ending injuries this month. Under league rules, once a team drops below 10 available players, it can sign a player on a hardship contract. The option was not available until Cunningham had officially missed Friday's game. Before Sims’ injury, general manager Amber Cox had told IndyStar reporter Chloe Peterson that Indiana was “definitely planning to sign a wing.” If Sims is unavailable, the Fever may need to prioritize a point guard instead. That decision is urgent — by the end of the loss to the Lynx, veteran Shey Peddy (signed Wednesday) was the only fully healthy ball-handler on the roster. Who Could Indiana Target? At this point in the season, many of the top options are off the market. The decision on who to sign will depend heavily on the severity of Bibby and Sims' injuries, but Indiana's previous hardship additions suggest various routes to take: Veteran point guards who have experience running offenses in the WNBA or other leagues. Indiana's recent signings of Sims and Peddy both had success in Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball. Wing shooters from training-camp cuts who can replace Cunningham's spacing on offense — similar to what they found in Bibby offered when the Fever signed her in July. After wing Lexie Hull put up a career-high 23 points in the loss, Cox may be persuaded to change her mind on signing a wing and prioritize point guard to give Peddy immediate help and ensure depth if/when Clark returns. Playoff Stakes Getting Higher Indiana sits sixth in the WNBA standings at 19–17 with eight games left. The upcoming stretch won’t be easy: Road rematch vs. league-leading Lynx. Games against the Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks and Golden State Valkyries — the three teams directly chasing them in the standings. The Fever’s stars, Kelsey Mitchell (20.4 PPG) and Aliyah Boston (15.2 PPG), have kept them afloat. But how the decision makers handle this weekend’s roster crunch could determine whether Indiana secures its first playoff berth since 2016. Indiana’s resilience has carried them this far, but Friday’s injuries may force immediate action. With Clark still sidelined and depth evaporating, the Fever’s next roster move could be the one that defines their season.