Here's Why Shedeur Sanders Doesn't Want Papa Deion at First NFL Training Camp

Shedeur Sanders is setting boundaries as he enters the NFL.

Per ESPN, the Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback told reporters at training camp on Monday, August 4, that he doesn’t want his father, Deion Sanders, attending practices yet.

“I don't want him coming to see me right now because I want to get to where I want to go, then for him to see me,” Shedeur, 23, said.

The former Colorado star is competing for a roster spot in a crowded Browns quarterback room. He’s one of five QBs in camp, joining veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, and Tyler Huntley, who was added on Monday, August 4, with Pickett and Gabriel dealing with injuries.

That depth—and the competition it brings—helps explain why Shedeur wants to keep the focus tight.

His comments also marked his first media availability since Deion revealed last week that he’s been dealing with bladder cancer.

While Deion recently visited another son, Shilo, at Tampa Bay Buccaneers camp, Shedeur said he’s not ready for the elder Sanders to show up in Cleveland.

“I don't want him to come and see me get a couple reps, and he is cheering like a good dad,” he said. “Like, nah, you can't be proud of me right now. I got to get to where I'm going, and I know it's a lot I got to do to get there.”

Avoiding distractions is a big theme for Shedeur. “It's kind of like I just want everything that I'm doing is just focus on this time, and I don't want no distractions because we know how the media, we know how everybody would take it and take away from the team, just from him being my own dad showing up,” he explained, calling it “a gift and a curse at the same time.”