Sunday, June 21, 2026

Trump Defends Sanders After Snub: ‘What Is Wrong With NFL Owners?’

The president expressed support for the former Colorado quarterback after he wasn’t drafted in the first round.

Leah Millis-Imagn Images

One of the most surprising snubs of the first round of the NFL Draft has found a new critic in President Donald Trump.

Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social in support of Shedeur Sanders, who went undrafted Thursday night despite drawing interest from several teams. Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, played for his father at Colorado, and his Buffaloes teammate Travis Hunter went No. 2 overall to the Jaguars.

“What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?” Trump posted shortly before the second round began Friday. “Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!”

Based on the timing of his social media posts, the president either sent the message from the skies or fired it off shortly after he arrived in Italy for the funeral of Pope Francis. He posted about Sanders shortly before sharing two messages that he landed in Italy, along with a video stepping off the plane.

All of these posts came just hours before ESPN began its second- and third-round coverage of the draft. Reports before the draft began suggested it was unclear when Sanders might be picked, and it could be as late as the third round.

While he was still coaching at Jackson State, Deion Sanders wrote a letter to the Trump White House in support of pardoning rapper Lil Wayne. The younger Sanders brother, Shilo, made comments about Trump earlier this year when talking about internet critics. “If you just hate me, or you want to hate me…paint me in a bad picture, they do that to our president, they do that to everybody.”

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for
The Memo Newsletter

Get the biggest stories and best analysis on the business of sports delivered to your inbox twice every weekday and twice on weekends.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Long Marches, Heat Struggles for Houston’s World Cup Visitors

“We are not used to these temperatures,” one Dutch fan told FOS.

U.S. Wins Group After World Cup Win Over Australia, Turkey Loss

The U.S. beat Australia without injured star Christian Pulisic.
Women’s National Football Conference

Women’s Football Is Ready for Its Tom Brady Moment

The league hit an inflection point in its just-completed seventh season.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

A Conversation With WNBA Expansion Team Portland Fire’s GM Vanja Černivec

0:00

Featured Today

Why U.S. Open Host Sites Are on a 25-Year Plan

The U.S. Open has already picked out 22 future sites through 2051.
Wisconsin Badgers forward Laila Edwards, left, and defender Caroline Harvey celebrate after Edwards scored against the Minnesota Gophers in the first period in a game Saturday, February 8, 2025, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin.
June 15, 2026

Two Rookies Are Rewriting Women’s Hockey Stardom

Their platforms are a mutual boon for the PWHL and its players.
Ai sports slop
June 5, 2026

How Sports Became Ground Zero for AI Slop

The category is the perfect breeding ground for AI content churn.
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group A - Germany v Luxembourg - Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim, Germany - October 10, 2025 Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann
June 4, 2026

‘Weird Corners of the World’: How to Find a World Cup Coach

National associations look for a winning record—and also hope for serendipity.
June 3, 2026

The Elite High Schools Hosting World Cup Teams

Spain, Morocco, Croatia, and Switzerland chose schools as their tournament base camps.

U.S. Open Tees Off With Smaller Crowds, but Plenty of Traffic

Total daily crowds will not surpass 30,000 fans this week.
June 17, 2026

U.S. Open Matches Masters As Richest Golf Major With $22.5M Purse

The USGA did not increase the U.S. Open purse last year.
June 18, 2026

Two-Time U.S. Open Champ: LIV Players Welcome on Champions Tour

Retief Goosen said he “would love” to see LIV players return.
Sponsored

Midge Purce Sounds Off on the Trinity Rodman Rule

Midge Purce discusses the Rodman Rule and the future of NWSL.
June 16, 2026

Scottie Scheffler Eyes Grand Slam, Tiger’s Career Earnings Record

Scottie Scheffler has won three of the four majors.
June 16, 2026

Rory McIlroy Questions PGA Tour’s Planned Schedule Overhaul

The tour is targeting 2028 to fully revamp its schedule.
USGA, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
June 15, 2026

Shinnecock Ready to Shine As Unofficial U.S. Open Anchor Site

Shinnecock last hosted the U.S. Open in 2018.
Apr 2, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Tom Dundon, the new owner of the Portland Trail Blazers, before a game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
June 15, 2026

Tom Dundon Won a Stanley Cup—Now He Needs to Hire an NBA Coach

Dundon bought the Trail Blazers in March.