Shedeur Sanders Wasn’t Discussing His Father, Deion Sanders' Health During Browns Media Session

One of the hottest topics coming out of the NFL Draft was how Shedeur Sanders needed to distance himself from his father Deion Sanders' shadow as he competed for the Cleveland Browns' starting job. 

This week, the rookie quarterback did just that, and handled the situation like a professional when he was asked about the health of his father. 

As reported on Tuesday afternoon, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is currently away from the team as he deals with an unspecified illness that has kept him in Texas. As first reported by USA Today, Sanders has been absent for the start of Colorado's summer training camp, while Buffaloes athletic trainer Lauren Askevold has been making trips to Texas to help with his recovery from this illness. 

Right now, there is not much information about what exactly Deion Sanders is dealing with, other than telling Asante Samuel last month that "What I’m dealing with right now is at whole other level" while discussing the ongoing illness. 

Deion Sanders Battling 'Unspecified Illness,' Has Been Absent From Colorado Football Program

While this current situation is unknown, his son, Deion Sanders Jr., took to social media on Sunday to provide folks with an update on his father. 

"He’ll tell y’all soon enough what he going through, what he went through," Deion Jr Sanders said on the YouTube livestream. 

This led to one Cleveland Browns reporter to ask Shedeur Sanders about his father, twice in the span of about sixty seconds. 

"Yeah I don't know what's going on. So I'm not here to talk about Pops and them. I'm here to be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns," Shedeur responded.  

Handling it once again in a professional manner, Shedeur did not bite on the second question, which was just framed in a different way. 

"I'm focused on learning this playbook and everything I need to do to be the most successful quarterback I can be. And be the best teammate I can be. Outside of that, I don't really have any thoughts on anything outside this game."

Did They Really Think Shedeur Was Going To Talk About His Father? 

Alright, let's be honest about the situation. Shedeur Sanders certainly knows how his father is doing from a health perspective. Do you think the two aren't talking? 

If anything, Sheduer probably knows more about what's going on than the folks in Colorado. 

And, it only took one day for Deion Sanders to respond to the reports surrounding his health, taking to social media on Wednesday morning to provide folks with an update. 

"Wow, I am truly blessed for the abundance of well wishes, for all the thoughts and all of the prayers," Deion Sanders posted. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!   I can assure you all that everything is OKAY and will continue to be so. God got me like no other. I have so much more work to do to Glorify God so please believe God got me! I'm excited to get back to Colorado to be at home with my staff, team & all associated to our program. When we arrive back to Boulder you will be updated on everything."
 

But the point is that for all the talk about how the quarterback needed to push forward and grow as a young man in the NFL, it sure seems like some folks want to try and poke the bear just to get an update that was never going to be given. 

What was Shedeur going to say that he hadn't already told his father? Was he supposed to say 'Yea, I’m praying for him in his recovery and hope he's doing OK' in response to the question? 

Shedeur Sanders wasn’t discussing the health of his father, Deion Sanders (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

No, he handled the situation in the best way possible, which is by focusing on the task at hand. If you want news about Deion Sanders, ask the folks in Colorado, even though they aren't commenting on the matter. 

Better yet, wait for a statement from Deion Sanders, or follow his son's YouTube page for the latest news. 

It's not Shedeur's job to speak about his father's health, especially when so many people were clamoring for him to put distance between each other. 

But, that was a good try at casting the rod, even though Shedeur wasn't taking the bait.