Pilar Sanders fired back at Rex Ryan after the ESPN analyst called her son Shedeur an embarrassment on Monday’s edition of Get Up.
The mother of the Browns’ rookie quarterback posted a fiery response in a since-deleted Instagram story, according to the New York Post, calling Ryan’s commentary “impotent, cancerous, envious energy.” She wrote that “this type of Evile goes waaay back” and questioned what Ryan “really represent[s]” before adding that “there’s no room for this type in sports.”
Pilar Sanders the mother of Shedeur had this to say.. And as she should. Because the way he was walking about Shedeur felt personal. pic.twitter.com/Em8rJ9Cfr8
— SayWhatYouMean (@Mystiq_Soul) September 29, 2025
Ryan had gone after Sanders following comments the third-string quarterback made last week to ESPN Cleveland. Sanders said he was “capable of doing better” than some current NFL starters, though he didn’t name specific players. That confidence rubbed Ryan the wrong way.
“This kid talks, and he runs his mouth. Like he said, ‘I can be a starting quarterback’ with his arms crossed like this,” Ryan said. “Get your ass in the front row and study and do all that. If I know, the whole league knows. Quit being an embarrassment that way. You’ve got the talent to be the quarterback; you should be. You should be embarrassed that you’re not the quarterback now.”
Rex Ryan on Shedeur Sanders: “This kid talks and he runs his mouth. Like he said, ‘I can be a starting quarterback’ with his arms crossed like this. Get your ass in the front row and study and do all that. If I know, the whole league knows. Quit being an embarrassment that way.… pic.twitter.com/onAE0caWKu
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 29, 2025
Sanders has been stuck as Cleveland’s emergency quarterback all season behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. The Browns are 1-3 with Flacco struggling, but coach Kevin Stefanski chose to play Gabriel in Sunday’s loss to Detroit rather than give Sanders a look. And, now, Gabriel is reportedly expected to start against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5.
That says plenty about where the fifth-round pick stands in the organization’s eyes.
Sanders was a major story heading into the season after falling to the fifth round despite being projected as a potential first-rounder. He made headlines during the preseason when he looked unhappy after getting benched for Cleveland’s final drive against the Rams. His comments last week about being better than some starters kept him in the news cycle, which is exactly what Ryan was criticizing.
Watching an ESPN analyst call your son an embarrassment on national TV probably doesn’t inspire measured responses. Especially when that son is sitting third on a depth chart behind a 40-year-old journeyman and another rookie, the coaching staff apparently trusts more.
The Instagram story disappeared shortly after it went up, but the screenshots remain. Shedeur Sanders probably just needs to keep his head down and wait for his chance. His mother had a different approach in mind.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.