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.

“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.

“Shedeur is part of the new athlete era,” sports culture commentator Jemele Hill tweeted. “He’s performing, but he’s also making a point — that confidence, creativity, and culture all belong in football. The people calling it ‘embarrassing’ are the same ones who hated touchdown dances in the ’80s.”

The “mime act” itself has already taken on a life of its own. Kids are mimicking it in youth football leagues, TikTokers are recreating it in slow motion, and even NFL players have been spotted doing variations of it during practice.

What started as a spontaneous end-zone moment may have just become Shedeur’s signature — another viral expression of his distinct, often misunderstood flair.

When asked whether he regrets the celebration or the backlash it caused, Sanders smirked and shook his head.

“Nah, man,” he said. “If you’re not being talked about, you’re not making an impact. I don’t do anything without purpose.

And if Rex Ryan wants to talk about me, that just means he’s watching. So I’m good.”

“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.

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

On Monday morning, Rex Ryan entered the conversation during ESPN’s Get Up, and he didn’t hold back. “That mime act was embarrassing,” Ryan said.

“You’re the quarterback — act like it. You’re supposed to be the leader of men, not some social media performer. This isn’t Hollywood, it’s football. I love the kid’s talent, but the nonsense has to stop.”

Within hours, the clip of Ryan’s comments was circulating across X (formerly Twitter), drawing thousands of reactions.

Many fans defended Sanders, arguing that his unique brand of confidence and self-expression is part of what makes college football fun.

But Shedeur himself didn’t leave it to others to speak for him — he addressed the situation directly during a post-practice media session Tuesday afternoon.

“Calling me an embarrassment?” Sanders said with a smile. “That’s crazy. I’ve got nothing but respect for Rex — but if you’re gonna talk about me, at least understand what you’re talking about. That mime act wasn’t about showing off.

It was about focus. It was about silence. Everyone’s been talking, doubting, hating — I just wanted to show that sometimes, you don’t gotta say a word to make a statement.”

“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.”

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.

College football just got another headline-making moment courtesy of Shedeur Sanders, and this time, the Colorado quarterback isn’t staying silent.

After NFL analyst Rex Ryan blasted him as an “embarrassment” for his now-viral “mime act” celebration during last weekend’s game, Sanders has officially fired back — and in typical Shedeur fashion, he did it with swagger, confidence, and a touch of defiance that only the son of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders could pull off.

The controversy erupted after Colorado’s thrilling 34–31 win over Utah, a victory that marked one of Sanders’ best performances of the season.

Late in the third quarter, after throwing a 40-yard touchdown bomb, Sanders celebrated by standing motionless in the end zone — hands frozen in front of him, expression blank — a gesture fans quickly dubbed the “mime act.”

The moment went viral almost instantly, with social media split between calling it “genius-level trolling” and “another Shedeur showboat move.”

Sanders’ explanation — equal parts philosophical and calculated — seemed designed to turn the criticism into another rallying point for Colorado’s growing brand of swagger-fueled culture.

The mime act, he clarified, was “symbolic,” a metaphor for tuning out the noise that’s surrounded both him and the Buffaloes since their high-profile 2024 campaign.

“I’m not out there clowning,” Sanders continued. “I’m showing people I’m locked in. You can call it cocky — I call it confidence. If you’ve been through what I’ve been through — the pressure, the spotlight, the expectations — you learn real quick that silence speaks louder than trash talk.”

Of course, social media immediately exploded with responses to his comments. One fan wrote, “Shedeur just turned a celebration into a TED Talk — I love it.” Another said, “This kid gets it.

People love to hate confidence until it starts winning.” Others weren’t so forgiving, with some agreeing with Rex Ryan that the display was “another example of Shedeur putting himself above the team.”

But regardless of which side fans fell on, one thing was clear — Shedeur Sanders once again proved that he knows how to command attention both on and off the field.

Even his father, Deion Sanders, couldn’t resist chiming in. During his weekly media availability, Coach Prime laughed when asked about Rex Ryan’s comments.

“Rex should know better,” Deion said. “We’ve all done a little celebrating in our day.

Look, Shedeur’s having fun, he’s balling out, and he’s leading. That’s what matters. People love to pick apart greatness — that’s how you know you’re doing something right.”

It’s not the first time Shedeur’s antics have drawn national attention.

From his infamous “Rolex flex” — where he pointed to his wrist after big plays — to his fiery on-field trash talk with opposing defenders, Sanders has built a reputation as college football’s most polarizing quarterback.

Some see him as a marketing genius who understands how to merge sports and entertainment; others see him as a flashy player whose confidence borders on arrogance.

Wide receiver Travis Hunter, one of Sanders’ closest friends and on-field weapons, defended his quarterback on Instagram Live: “Man, people just don’t get Shedeur.

He’s always been like that — cool, confident, funny. He’s not trying to disrespect nobody. He’s just being him. And we love it.”

In the broader context, Sanders’ back-and-forth with Ryan reflects a growing generational divide in how athletes are expected to behave.

While older analysts often emphasize humility and stoicism, younger players like Shedeur embrace authenticity, expression, and social engagement as extensions of their competitive edge.

He paused for a moment before adding one final line that perfectly captured his blend of humor and confidence: “But hey — maybe next time I’ll teach him the mime act. Silence speaks volumes.”

With that, Shedeur Sanders walked off the podium, head high, smile wide, leaving reporters laughing and social media buzzing once again. Love him or hate him, one thing’s certain: in a sport full of voices, Shedeur knows exactly how to make silence echo the loudest.

“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.”