OP-ED: Shedeur Sanders’ long wait to be drafted by the NFL is about way more than sports. Jon Conyers explains why Black boys and men often encounter resistance when they shine bright with confidence.
“With the 144th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select Shedeur Sanders.“
Once projected to be the number one overall pick let’s take a look at Shedeur Sanders’ accomplishments in 2024 alone:
- 8th in Heisman voting
- Winner of the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
- Record-setter for passing yards at both Jackson State and Colorado University
- 3.9 GPA at the University of Colorado
- 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year
- 2024 First-Team All-Big 12
By every measurable standard, Shedeur Sanders did everything “right.”
He worked hard. Stayed out of trouble. Excelled athletically and academically. Represented his family—and himself—with pride, poise, and integrity. He embraced faith, discipline, and the legacy of greatness passed down from his father.
He followed every rule society claims matters.
And still, it wasn’t enough.
Today, Shedeur isn’t just battling defenders on the field—he’s battling a culture desperate to humble confident Black men the moment they begin to shine. His confidence is framed as arrogance. His success is treated as a threat. His pride is painted as a character flaw.
But maybe this isn’t just about Shedeur at all.
Maybe it’s about who raised him.
Deion Sanders did everything the world told Black fathers they should do. He stayed present. He mentored. He raised boys into men. He modeled faith, hard work, and family loyalty. He built a blueprint for Black fatherhood and Black excellence that could not be ignored.
He didn’t just play the game of football—he mastered it, becoming one of the greatest to ever do it. And still, he and his sons are treated like liabilities, not legacies.
This is the reality that every Black man in America faces.
We teach our boys to be respectful. To work twice as hard. To stay out of trouble. To check every box so they’ll be seen as “safe” and “acceptable.”
But the ugly truth is no matter how perfectly they play by the rules, society will always find a way to move the goalposts.
If Shedeur Sanders were white, his swagger would be celebrated. He’d be called electric, magnetic, a once-in-a-generation leader—the way athletes like Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel were hyped for their “flash.”
Instead, because he’s a young Black man who refuses to shrink himself, he becomes a target.
This isn’t just about sports.
It’s about the emotional and mental toll that comes from living in a world determined to humble Black men for daring to love themselves out loud.
It’s about the exhaustion of having to be excellent just to be considered worthy—and even then, knowing it still might not be enough.
The message is clear: Black men must be humble, but not too humble. Confident, but not too confident. Successful, but never too proud.
It’s a moving target designed to break spirits.
And when that message gets internalized long enough, it starts to chip away at mental health. It breeds anxiety, depression, and rage. It teaches young Black men and boys that no matter how good they are, they will never be good enough.
We can’t keep telling Black men to simply work harder and behave better.
We have to build a world where they are allowed to be fully human—loud and quiet, joyful and complicated, confident and still learning. Proud of who they are without needing to apologize for it.
Shedeur Sanders deserves to celebrate his success without shame.
Every Black man does.
Because at the end of the day, the problem isn’t that Black men break the rules.
The problem is that even when we follow every rule, the game was never built for us to win.
It’s important that Shedeur remembers where you are selected in the draft does not define the career you will have.
Wishing Shedeur Sanders a successful career in Cleveland and hoping he continues to put all the naysayers in their place.
Jonathan Conyers is the author of the acclaimed memoir “I Wasn’t Supposed to Be Here.” He is also a respiratory therapist, writer, and producer, as well as the owner and investor of several successful business ventures. Through his storytelling and work, Conyers continues to amplify underrepresented voices and create impact across industries.
