May 8, 2025
John Doe accuses the league of violating antitrust, civil rights, consumer protection laws as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress
The Sanders family took an emotional hit when Shedeur Sanders dropped to the fifth round in the NFL Draft, but one fan really took it to heart, filing a $100 million lawsuit against the league over the quarterback’s unexpected tumble.
According to MSNBC, an unidentified fan of the University of Colorado Buffaloes, where Sanders played college ball, from Georgia, filed the paperwork alleging that the NFL violated antitrust, civil rights, and consumer protection laws, and caused intentional infliction of emotional distress and trauma.
The fan is seeking the nine-figure amount as well as a “formal acknowledgment from the NFL regarding the emotional distress caused by their actions and statements,” a “retraction of the slanderous statements made about Shedeur Sanders, along with an apology for any harm caused to his reputation” and “fairer practices in the drafting process to ensure that talented players are recognized and given opportunities based on merit.”
John Doe felt reports of Sanders’ off-putting behavior during team interviews negatively impacted him. The anticipated first-round draft pick fell and fell and fell before the Cleveland Browns selected Sanders with the 144th pick.
The fan is accusing the league of collusion because several teams needed a quarterback of Sanders’ ability but selected lesser-known athletes with stats that didn’t come close to matching Sanders’ at Colorado.
Although he filed the lawsuit under a pseudonym, the slighted football fan did talk with WFAA in Dallas.
“I felt victimized, I felt traumatized,” John Doe said. “I mean, I was listening to a lot of the dog whistles that, if you lived the Black experience, you heard certain overtures coming from…people that were reporting on the draft.”
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There are several theories behind Sanders’ stock dropping, including the involvement of his father and head coach at Jackson State and Colorado, NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, and an attitude during pre-draft interviews that reportedly irked many teams.
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