Shedeur Sanders finally made his NFL debut for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but his performance on the field wasn’t the only thing that affected him.
According to multiple sources, an individual or individuals broke into Sanders’ home during the game. The news was first reported by Pro Football Talk and confirmed by Cleveland.com. It’s unclear if anything was taken from Sanders’ house, and no suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime.
Sanders is the latest high-profile athlete to have his home broken into. In early November, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s home was broken into during a Thunder game. No suspects have been found in light of the break-in and local authorities in Oklahoma beefed up security around SGA’s home.
Over the last few years, athletes across the NBA and NFL have been affected by home burglaries, prompting the FBI to send a memo to sports leagues about the rash of home invasions. Robbers have also targeted Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis, and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
“While many burglaries occur while homes are unoccupied, some burglaries occur while residents are home. In these instances, individuals are encouraged to seek law enforcement help and avoid engaging with criminals, as they may be armed or use violence if confronted,” the report stated.
The home break-in added to a rough day for Sanders, who filled in for quarterback Dillion Gabriel after Gabriel left the game Sunday vs. the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion. Sanders completed only four of his sixteen passes for 47 yards and an interception. The Browns lost the game 23-16.
Sanders is expected to make his first NFL start Sunday vs. the Las Vegas Raiders, should Gabriel still be in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Asked how he assessed his first bit of NFL action, the former Colorado and Jackson State star offered a blunt criticism of his performance.
“I don’t think I played good,” Sanders said. “I don’t think I played good at all. I think there’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week and go and just get comfortable with even throwing routes with [wide receiver] Jerry [Jeudy] and throwing routes with all those guys. I think that was my first ball to him all year. But other than that, I just think overall, we just got to go next week and understand, so that we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do.”
He added, “I know I’m made for it. I don’t think there was a doubt in my mind that that final drive, [we were] going to go down there and score. Things happened and we didn’t, but I was just excited because I knew what I was going to be able to do out there.”
