Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders speaks out on Donald Trump, Tom Brady's support and fires back at NFL critics

In spite of his nationalist humiliation astatine past month's NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns backmost Shedeur Sanders was each smiles portion talking with media astatine the ongoing rookie minicamp successful Berea, Ohio.

Once projected arsenic a precocious first-round pick, the son of Hall of Famer and Colorado caput manager Deion Sanders plummeted to the 144th selection, where helium was taken by the Browns connected Day 3. That tumble efficaciously outgo Shedeur millions implicit the beingness of his rookie contract, which helium joked astir connected Saturday: 'I'm not trying to bargain anything. My signing bonus ain't that precocious close now.'

Going by the rookie wage scale, Shedeur volition apt get a four-year woody worthy astir $4.6 million, which is simply a acold outcry from the tens of millions helium would person earned arsenic a first-round pick.

Since that embarrassment, assorted reports person emerged accusing the younger Sanders of botching his pre-draft interviews with squad reps, immoderate of whom were said to beryllium turned disconnected by the erstwhile Buffaloes star's attitude.

But alternatively than attacking his critics oregon adjacent denying the anonymous reports, the 23-year-old struck a decidedly optimistic code with reporters connected Saturday: 'My occupation isn't to beryllium radical wrong, it's to beryllium myself right.'

Of course, it helps to get enactment from seven-time Super Bowl victor Tom Brady and President Donald Trump, the second of whom urged teams to draught Shedeur connected societal media. 

'I was beauteous thankful for it,' Sanders said Saturday erstwhile asked astir Trump's support. 'Including him, determination were a batch of fans, radical successful barber shops, lotta hairsbreadth stylists, conscionable fans of maine and my trade and of my family, that was determination to support. I was conscionable thankful that I had that instauration overall. Just people, and we could each travel unneurotic arsenic one.'

He besides received a connection from Brady, himself a erstwhile sixth-round selection.

'My story's going to beryllium similar,' Shedeur said of Brady's connection to him. '[Brady] was a late-round draught pick, but we're present now, truthful nary of that worldly matters.'

Shedeur is not intimidated by the Browns' crowded backmost room, which includes seasoned Joe Flacco, erstwhile Philadelphia Eagles backup Kenny Pickett, the injured erstwhile starter Deshaun Watson, arsenic good arsenic chap rookie and erstwhile Oregon prima Dillon Gabriel.

As helium told reporters Saturday, he's really excited to stock this acquisition with Gabriel.

'He's a existent chill guy, overall,' Shedeur said. 'You tin tell, helium ever has a large mood, he's ever successful a bully mood.

'I've lone been astir him 2 days, though,' helium added, eliciting immoderate laughter from assembled media.

Shedeur said he's presently looking for enactment to bash successful the assemblage successful and astir Cleveland, explaining that helium hopes to enactment with section schools, wherever children's 'minds [are] not corrupted by different people's opinions.'

But portion that whitethorn dependable similar a bitter connection from Shedeur, helium insists helium does not attraction astir what his critics are saying astir him oregon his pre-draft process.

'So I don't genuinely care,' helium said. 'They don't truly unrecorded successful my intelligence abstraction astir that benignant of stuff. It truly doesn't bash thing for me.

'I mean you conscionable got to measurement backmost and look astatine life,' helium said, arsenic quoted by the Newark Advocate. 'You're successful a large concern wide that you capable to beryllium healthy. That's 1 happening going through. Even with my member going done an wounded and my pops and everybody successful the family, you worth beingness and you worth accidental and conscionable waking up each time a antithetic way.

'So that's benignant of wherefore it's thing for maine to really, nary substance what successful immoderate situation, I can't truly beryllium phased by it. It is similar playing quarterback. You spell down there, you whitethorn person not scored the full crippled oregon whatever, but past erstwhile it gets to that last 2 minutes and it's clip to fastener successful extra, you can't beryllium successful your feelings. You can't beryllium down astir anything. You inactive got different chance.'