Jan 14, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders checks his phone during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets in the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

'An Absolute Media Feeding Frenzy': Shedeur Sanders Wearing Tom Brady’s Iconic Jersey 12 Gets Slammed By Rich Eisen

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics
By Ernest Leo Hernandez | Last updated May 7, 2025 10:32 AM ET

Shedeur Sanders , new quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, has chosen the jersey number 12 for his rookie season with the team and the internet is having none of that. It is well known in the NFL world that the No. 12 jersey was worn by none other than NFL legend Tom Brady during his active career.

In a recent episode of the ‘Rich Eisen Show’, the renowned sportscaster himself called Sanders out for choosing the jersey number. Eisen went on to remark that by choosing this particular jersey number, Sanders would be simply adding chum to the water for media sharks.

“Shedeur has chosen Tom Brady’s number. The last thing you’re gonna do is say I want a certain number. You know what an absolute media feeding frenzy there would be?” Rich Eisen said about Shedeur Sanders choosing the no. 12 jersey for his rookie year on the ‘Rich Eisen Show’.

Shedeur #12. Rich Eisen Speaks

“Shedeur has chosen Tom Brady’s number. The last thing you’re gonna do is say I want a certain number. You know what an absolute media feeding frenzy there would be?”

️ @RichEisenShow https://t.co/W76v8bqcjf pic.twitter.com/B9HHzRwTuf

— JaKi (@JaKiTruth) May 6, 2025

Sanders was selected by the Cleveland Browns as the 144th pick in the fifth round of the recent NFL draft. Before the draft commenced, Sanders was expected to be a top pick but his position fell after numerous scouts and analysts painted him as arrogant and brash in his pre-draft interviews.

Before being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL draft, Sanders played college football for the Jackson State Tigers from 2021 to 2022 and then for the Colorado Buffaloes from 2023 to 2024. In his senior year with Cleveland, the quarterback managed to throw for 4,134 yards in total, scoring 37 touchdowns for the team.

Shedeur Sanders’ Draft Slide Caused Fan Emotional Trauma, Fan Sues NFL

In another interesting turn of events, a football fan from Colorado is suing the NFL for a sum of $100 million for emotional trauma caused by Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide. In his lawsuit, the fan stated that Sanders not being picked in the first four rounds of the NFL draft was ‘racially biased’ and that the whole thing was ‘rigged’ right from the start.

The fan who identifies himself as John Doe in his lawsuit believes that Sanders’ spot dropping to the fifth round was as a result of the league spreading false narratives and stories about Deion Sanders’ youngest son.

While others might not have filed a lawsuit against the NFL, it is true that many other NFL fans feel the same way. After the 2025 NFL draft was over, many NFL fans and even analysts came out to criticize Sanders’ ranking in the draft and that it was unfair for the talented quarterback to be picked so low in the list.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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