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Alternate Angle Captures Blow That Got Shilo Sanders Ejected From Bucs-Bills

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 10:15 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders, the eldest child of Deion Sanders, went viral for the wrong reason on Saturday.

During the Buccaneers' final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at Raymond James Stadium, Sanders was disqualified after throwing a punch at tight end Zach Davidson.

In the second quarter of the contest, Sanders and Davidson got into a scuffle toward the end of the defensive backfield. The two were seen getting physical before it boiled down to the Bucs rookie punching Davidson.

Replays of the moment showed the two becoming entangled before the heated blow. However, an alternate angle of the play gave a better view of what happened.

By the looks of it, Davidson's fingers were inside Sanders' facemask, which could be the reason why Sanders got agitated.

Here is another angle of the Shilo Sanders ejection. You can see Zach Davidson climb to the facemask, which is what Todd Bowles was arguing to the refs afterwards. pic.twitter.com/XsSuFyT6Kw
— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) August 24, 2025

The NFL rulebook states that, "No player shall grasp and control, twist, turn, push, or pull the facemask of an opponent in any direction." As a punishment, "If a player grasps an opponent’s facemask, he must immediately release it. If he does not immediately release it and controls his opponent, it is a foul."

While Sanders was ejected from the game, however, Davidson was not penalized.

Shilo Sanders' Career in Jeopardy?

Regardless of his reason for throwing a punch, Sanders hurt no one but his career with his actions.

An undrafted rookie, the former Colorado Buffaloes player entered the game as a third-string safety for the Bucs. Not only did he lose his chance of proving himself and showing that he's a capable contributor, but his inability to control his temper and decision to act on his emotions also reflect poorly on him and could negatively affect the team's evaluation.

The NFL's deadline for teams to cut their rosters to 53 men is Tuesday.