"Shedeur Sanders has issues because of his attitude" - NFL fans call out Ryan Clark for insinuating racism in Colorado QB's growing criticism

Ryan Clark implied on Wednesday that racism could be behind the declining draft value of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. X fans have clapped back to the ESPN analyst on X.

Clark, on ESPN's Draft talk show, said:

"It's not about him being Deion Sanders' son. It's about the bravado he has. It's about the fact that he looks a certain way. It is about the fact that the color of his skin sometimes at the position can be questioned."

This comes after reports by NFL insider Josina Anderson that a quarterbacks coach from a team drafting in the top 7 characterized Sanders as "brash" and "arrogant" during team interviews. NBC Sports' Matthew Berry also said two other teams had Shedeur Sanders come across as "unprofessional and disinterested" in meetings.

Fans promptly dismissed Clark's racial justification:

"Ryan Clark is a race baiter nothing more nothing less! Cam Ward is black why no issues with him because of his skin color! Shedur Sanders has issues because of his attitude. That’s it," one X user posted.

Another fan responded: "Can we stop with this narrative already African American QB’s have never been more relevant and Cam Ward is about to be the no brainer #1 overall pick. Not every little thing is about race and it’s baiting like this that saturates actual prejudice."

"This is 100% clickbait from ESPN to drive viewership on their dying talk shows and people are falling for it," added one fan.

Some of the responses were more direct in their criticism:

"It's about how he sucks at football," one fan wrote.

"Ryan Clark makes everything about race," another said.

"Here we go again," another fan wrote.

ESPN's Louis Riddick defends Shedeur Sanders amid "smear campaign" allegations

NCAA Basketball: Central Florida at Colorado - Source: Imagn

Clark's ESPN colleague Louis Riddick had a different take, implying Sanders is being subjected to a concerted "smear campaign" over his father's reputation.

Riddick said on March 12 to Dan Patrick that Shedeur Sanders is worth first-round consideration:

"He's a top-half-of-the-first-round player." When Patrick asked about the source of negativity, Riddick explained: "People have been at this game...trying to talk certain prospects down for years. Deion is a lightning rod. That's where it starts—it doesn't even start with Shedeur, this starts with his father."

Shedeur Sanders himself has also defended against the negative stories. Appearing on a live stream with Bradley Martyn (March 6), he said: "Everybody tryna make my stock drop right now, please don't believe the media."

The Athletic's Dane Brugler said that several teams do not consider Shedeur Sanders a first-round quarterback. He observed (March 4), "He could go in the top six or fall out of the first round entirely—and neither outcome would be a shock."

Shedeur Sanders is gearing up for Colorado's Pro Day on March 18, where he and teammate Travis Hunter will showcase their skills.