Colorado head coach Deion “Prime” Sanders says he was “hurt” and angered by what he calls a barrage of anonymous “lies” aimed at sons Shedeur and Shilo in the run-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, contending the whisper campaign helped push the family’s draft-day dreams off course.

Speaking on former All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel’s Say What Needs to Be Said podcast, Sanders accused unnamed league voices of planting stories that his quarterback son Shedeur showed up to team interviews “unprepared” and even wore headphones while coaches spoke—claims the Hall of Famer dismissed as absurd. “Anybody who knows my son knows he’s a professional,” Sanders said, pointing to six coordinators Shedeur has mastered in four college seasons.

The narrative, Sanders argued, helped drag the on-field star from a projected first-rounder to the Cleveland Browns at pick 144, while older brother Shilo went undrafted before signing with Tampa Bay. “It hurt,” Sanders admitted. “But sometimes God uses foolish things to confound the wise. It gave them an edge they needed.”

One widely circulated report claimed the New York Giants soured on Shedeur after he failed to spot intentional errors in a whiteboard install—an allegation that left both father and son “pissed,” according to Sanders. He insisted the brothers are “built for everything” after a lifetime in front of cameras and said those spreading rumors should “stop lying.”

Shedeur now joins a crowded Browns quarterback room that already includes veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, plus fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, while starter Deshaun Watson rehabs an Achilles injury. Shilo, meanwhile, begins his pro journey as a Buccaneers free agent signee. For Sanders, though, the draft slide is simply the latest motivation: “They’re not going to catch my kids in any mess. They’re ready to prove people wrong—again.”