In a bold display of fragile emotions, a Georgia man is suing the NFL for $100 million, alleging emotional distress after Shedeur Sanders slid to the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
Named in court documents as John Doe, a self-proclaimed diehard Colorado Buffaloes fan, he is going after the NFL for what he calls the most dramatic draft slide in recent history.
We wish him the best of luck.
The Georgia man claims he spent countless hours watching Sanders play, both on television and in person, and consumed even more hours of media coverage surrounding the Colorado quarterback’s transition to the NFL. The guy watched every game and got hooked into a YouTube rabbit hole about his favorite quarterback. We’ve all been there, right?
The lawsuit alleges the NFL colluded against Sanders to sink his draft stock, citing a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. It also claims Sanders was discriminated against as a Black quarterback, allegedly violating the Civil Rights Act. Finally, the complaint accuses the NFL of violating consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the draft process—whatever that means.
Why would a lawyer ever touch this? They didn’t.
The Georgia man is representing himself, despite claiming he cannot afford the court filing fees required to move the complaint forward.
If this isn’t the worst money grab attempt in recent memory, it may just be someone having fun and looking to make headlines—which, to be fair, it has certainly accomplished.
But the thought of a Colorado fan, decked out in full Buffs gear, being so devastated by Sanders falling to the fifth round that he decided to sue the NFL for $100 million is objectively hilarious. Imagine his reaction in the middle of Saturday afternoon when Sanders was ultimately selected No. 144 overall.
In a world filled with bad politics and streets flooded with real crime, it’s great to know that our legal system is tackling emotional distress over the NFL Draft.
And if this fan is truly this devastated, just wait until he watches his first taste of Cleveland Browns football.
Sanders is set to spend training camp in the heat of a quarterback competition headlined by Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel—the quarterback the Browns selected 50 spots ahead of Coach Prime’s son.
I’d love to see a live feed of that fan’s home when he finds out Sanders probably isn’t starting Week 1. Or the first time the Browns’ blind side completely collapses and Sanders takes a sack in a big spot against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Hopefully, the Georgia man can squeeze at least a few settlement dollars out of this. Because as long as Sanders is in Cleveland, he’s probably got a lot more emotional distress in his future.
