Clay Travis declares racism not a factor in Shedeur Sanders' draft fall

In the recent NFL Draft held in late April 2025, Shedeur Sanders, a quarterback from Colorado, unexpectedly fell to the fifth round, a position many analysts considered unjust given his potential as a first-round pick. Notably, the Cleveland Browns selected him with the 144th overall pick despite passing on him earlier in the draft, raising questions within the sports media regarding the reasons for his slide. Many commentators swiftly concluded that racism played a role in Sanders not being drafted higher, a narrative that sparked significant backlash from various sports analysts. These individuals emphasized that attributing his draft position to race is not only misguided but also intellectually lazy. OutKick founder Clay Travis, alongside NFL Network analyst Kyle Brandt and ESPN's Sage Steele, articulated their disagreement with the prevailing media narrative. Travis pointed out that the NFL, which has a majority Black workforce, has fostered more Black millionaires than any other industry, arguing that claims of racism in this context are unfounded. He criticized sports media for leveraging Sanders’ draft position to stir racial debates, calling such theories irresponsible and detrimental to both the athlete's reputation and the integrity of the sport. Kyle Brandt echoed these sentiments, suggesting that the media’s portrayal of Sanders' draft slide as a racial issue skewed the genuine football narrative surrounding the event. He argued that teams ultimately assess a player’s fit and potential based on their performance rather than their race. Brandt, being a prominent face in sports commentary, described the media's reaction as overblown and stated that genuine assessments were more valuable than emotional narratives about race. Sage Steele added her voice to the discourse, stating unequivocally that racism did not factor into Sanders' draft outcome. She asserted that people claiming racism should educate themselves on the scouting reports, which pointed to legitimate concerns about Sanders' intangibles as the primary reasons for his draft position. To her, the discussions around race were counterproductive and reflected poorly on those employing such arguments. The overarching conclusion from these commentators is that Sanders' selection was a result of football considerations rather than racial bias, thus reframing the conversation back to the athlete’s evaluations and performance on the field.