Shedeur Sanders appears to be winning over his critics one by one. Following his impressive showing in the Cleveland Browns’ preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, the latest to praise the rookie quarterback is American comedian Charleston White.
This change of heart surprised many, as White once placed a $20,000 bounty on Coach Prime’s son, offering the reward to anyone who would injure him. Recently, however, the 48-year-old was spotted wearing a Browns jersey with Sanders’ name and number.
White expressed that he wanted to show love to Shedeur and offered a public salute to the Sanders family. He emphasized promoting dignity, integrity, compassion, and forgiveness:
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I had to show love to Shedeur, man… Shout out to the Sander family, man. We gracing dignity, integrity, compassion, and forgiveness.”
Shedeur flipping haters into fans one by one pic.twitter.com/DkjEEMnkIZ
— Dalvinthetruth (@dalvinthetruth) August 15, 2025
Why did Charleston White put a bounty on Shedeur Sanders?
In 2023, White announced he would pay $20,000 to any college football player who injured Shedeur Sanders. His anger stemmed from Deion Sanders’ decision to leave Jackson State University (JSU) for Colorado, a move White viewed as a betrayal. Coach Prime had previously pledged to elevate JSU’s HBCU program, but when he departed, he took his son Shedeur with him.
Despite the controversy, no such incident occurred, and Shedeur continued to develop his game. His performances at Colorado attracted NFL attention, though his draft slide was widely discussed. Ultimately, he was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Although there were doubts about his playing time in Cleveland’s competitive quarterback room, the rookie capitalized on his preseason opportunity, delivering a strong performance as a starter. Whether he will get another chance soon remains to be seen.
