Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders responded to recent comments made by former NFL coach and current ESPN pundit Rex Ryan Thursday. 

Last week, Ryan condemned Sanders for his behavior during a segment on the network’s “Get Up” show.

The drama began when Ryan, during a panel discussion on ESPN’s Get Up, criticized Sanders’ animated sideline celebration after Colorado’s recent win. The quarterback, who mimed holding a mirror and performing exaggerated slow-motion gestures during a timeout, instantly went viral.

While fans and teammates saw it as another chapter in Sanders’ growing legend of swagger and showmanship, Ryan called it “immature” and “an embarrassment to the sport.” That didn’t sit well with Sanders — or his millions of supporters.

Just hours later, Sanders took to social media to clap back in a post that was equal parts slick and savage. “You called me an embarrassment? Nah, that’s called entertainment,” he wrote. “When I celebrate, I’m not mocking the game — I’m adding energy to it.

You call it a mime act. I call it art.” His words quickly spread across Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, drawing thousands of comments from fans, fellow athletes, and even celebrities who praised him for defending his individuality.

Still, the back-and-forth with Rex Ryan highlights a broader cultural clash over what the future of football looks like. Is it a stoic battlefield, or a stage where athletes can merge skill with personality? For Sanders, the answer seems clear. “Football isn’t just X’s and O’s anymore,” he said. “It’s energy, culture, and art. Some people don’t get that yet — but they will.”

“This kid runs his mouth like, ‘I got could be a starting quarterback,’ with his arms crossed like this. Get your a– in the front row and study and do all that. If I know, the whole league knows,” Ryan said of Sanders.

“Quit being an embarrassment that way. You got the talent to be a quarterback. You should be embarrassed that you’re not the quarterback now.”

Buffalo Bills former head coach Rex Ryan poses for a photo on the red carpet at an ESPN the Party event in the Houston arts district.  (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)

Sanders responded to the criticism while speaking to reporters after Thursday’s practice.

In a follow-up video, Sanders elaborated on what the moment meant to him. “People always want to put athletes in a box,” he said. “You can’t dance, you can’t celebrate, you can’t show emotion — unless it fits their definition of respect. But the truth is, I play this game with love and creativity.

That sideline moment wasn’t a joke. It was expression. Every move had meaning.” He explained that his so-called “mime act” was an inside joke with teammates, meant to embody confidence and rhythm — not mockery.

Shedeur’s response struck a nerve with fans who see him as part of a new generation redefining what it means to be a quarterback. In a sport long dominated by stoicism and “act like you’ve been there before” culture, Sanders stands as the opposite: stylish, expressive, and self-aware.

His fashion sense, his flashy watch gestures, and his social media presence have made him one of college football’s most polarizing — and marketable — figures. To his supporters, that’s exactly the point. “He’s bringing personality back to football,” one fan tweeted. “Shedeur isn’t just playing the game. He’s performing it.”

But not everyone is on board with Sanders’ style. Rex Ryan’s criticism reflects a broader tension between football traditionalists and the new generation of athletes who blend sports with performance art and social media culture.

“There’s a difference between swagger and showboating,” Ryan said during the broadcast. “You can lead your team without turning the game into a sideshow.” His comments drew mixed reactions, with some agreeing that Sanders needs to focus more on football and others blasting Ryan for sounding “out of touch.”

“He’s just trying to start something,” Sanders said.

“We not on no negativity from now on. We not doing that. I’m just here to be positive, and I don’t speak on anything negative. That’s the new way, that’s what we going forward with. Anything negative, we not talking about it, we not speaking on it.”

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders warms up before a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit Sept. 28, 2025. (David Reginek/Imagn Images)

Sanders also addressed the public response to an incident last week, when reporters asked him his response to teammate and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel being named the team’s starting quarterback. Sanders responded by mouthing words without saying anything.

“I guess not everybody likes playful all the time,” Sanders said. “So, it’s to understand how to be at all times and keep my personality a little bit slimmer, I guess. Because not everybody understands it at all times, and you may not have a full time to be able to explain things.”

The 22-year-old quarterback didn’t shy away from addressing that criticism head-on. “Respect to Coach Ryan,” Sanders said in his video, “but if we’re talking about sideshows, let’s remember — this is entertainment. This game feeds families, inspires kids, and brings people joy.

I’m out here doing my job and giving fans a show they’ll remember. That’s not a distraction. That’s passion.” His composure and charisma in handling the situation reminded many of his father, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, who built his Hall of Fame career on the same mix of talent and unapologetic flair.

Indeed, Shedeur’s defense of his performance feels like a reflection of his upbringing. Deion has long preached the idea that confidence is not arrogance when it’s backed by preparation. “Don’t hate the show — respect the work that built it,” Shedeur said in a later post, echoing one of his father’s favorite mantras.

Those words resonated deeply across social media, where fans began posting clips of his recent performances — particularly his poise under pressure in fourth-quarter comebacks — as proof that Sanders’ flash is more than justified.

Analysts have also weighed in on the controversy. ESPN’s Marcus Spears defended Sanders, saying, “He’s got personality, and that’s okay. We celebrate quarterbacks who show fire all the time — Tom Brady screams at teammates, Joe Burrow wears Cartier — but when Shedeur adds creativity, suddenly it’s a problem?

That’s a double standard.” Other commentators noted that Sanders’ self-expression has helped the Colorado program capture national attention, transforming what was once a struggling team into a cultural phenomenon.

After the team traded away veteran quarterback Joe Flacco this week, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t confirm that Sanders would move up to the second-string spot behind Gabriel for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Stefanski told reporters he will “let the week play out” before deciding between Sanders and practice squad quarterback Bailey Zappe.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders listens to the national anthem before a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Huntington Bank Field.  (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

Sanders said he sees a “light at the end of the tunnel” regarding the situation.

“I’m in a great mental space overall,” Sanders said. “So, I would say you tend to get a little bit more excited when you see a light at the end of the tunnel, for sure. … Whatever my role is here, I’m thankful. I’m happy just to do that.”

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is no stranger to headlines, but his latest dust-up has sports fans buzzing even louder than his highlight reels. After former NFL coach Rex Ryan blasted him on ESPN, calling his sideline mime routine “an embarrassment to football,” Sanders didn’t stay silent. In true Shedeur fashion — confident, sharp, and unapologetically himself — the young star fired back with a pointed response that defended not only his performance but his identity as an athlete and entertainer.

As the buzz continued online, Sanders’ teammates and coaches rallied around him. “That’s Shedeur being Shedeur,” said head coach Deion Sanders during a press conference. “He’s not out here disrespecting anyone. He’s out here inspiring people — showing that you can be great and have fun doing it. If that bothers folks, that’s their issue, not ours.” The team’s locker room reportedly erupted in laughter after watching his response video, with players jokingly imitating the “mime act” during practice.

The younger Sanders has learned to turn criticism into fuel — and this time was no different. In his most recent Instagram story, he posted a clip of his infamous mime routine with the caption: “Still embarrassing y’all… one win at a time.” The post racked up over a million views in a few hours, cementing his status as both a star athlete and a viral sensation.

For Shedeur Sanders, moments like these aren’t distractions; they’re statements. They’re declarations that football can be both fierce competition and creative expression — that the same drive that makes someone a winner can also make them an artist. Whether critics like Rex Ryan approve or not, Sanders seems perfectly comfortable walking that line. As he put it best: “You don’t have to understand it. Just respect the work behind it. Because at the end of the day — I’m not performing for approval. I’m performing for greatness.”