Shilo Sanders has likened himself to Donald Trump after fuming that both he and the president are being targeted by critics who ‘always try to destroy you’.
The 24-year-old safety, who is one of three sons to NFL legend and Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, went viral for the wrong reasons this week after clips of him getting beat in practice at the Shrine Bowl surfaced on social media.
With his younger brother Shedeur tipped to be the first overall pick at this year’s NFL Draft after an impressive year as Colorado’s starting quarterback, Shilo has not gained as much attention in his two seasons with the Buffaloes.
And after drawing criticism over his practice displays at the Shrine Bowl, he compared the negative reaction online to those who have condemned Trump in the wake of his re-election as president.
‘If you just hate me, or you want to hate me, paint me in a bad picture… they do that to our President, they do that to everybody, you know,’ Shilo said.
‘So I’m not going to be safe from it. But it does get aggravating whenever you’re putting in work, and you’re working on your craft and people are just steadily destroying you.’
Shilo Sanders has likened himself to Donald Trump after fuming over their respective critics
The middle son of NFL legend Deion Sanders (center) went viral after clips of him getting beat in practice for the Shrine Bowl surfaced on social media
But Shilo went on to enjoy success in the Shrine Bowl at AT&T Stadium on Thursday night
Despite his West team suffering a 25-0 defeat, the Shrine Bowl itself actually proved a lot more successful for Shilo, who finished with five tackles and a pass breakup in an impressive performance.
‘I just care about what the scouts think, I care about what Coach Prime thinks and my family thinks,’ he added. ‘And I’ve got a good circle around me, so I really don’t let that stuff affect me.
‘It’s just really stupid, though, how people always just try to destroy you, and I don’t do nothing bad to nobody.’
Shilo moved to Colorado with his father and brother in 2023 after spending two seasons with Jackson State and as many with South Carolina.
Over the past season he recorded 67 tackles in 10 outings as a corner, the same position dad Deion played during his Hall of Fame career.
Deion and Shedeur were both at Thursday night’s Shrine Bowl in Arlington, Texas as Shilo put in a solid display with NFL scouts watching on.
Before the showpiece got underway, ‘Coach Prime’ could be seen walking the sideline with his middle son in a ritual similar to their pregame tradition in Colorado.
