Longtime Cleveland Browns reporter Mark Kay Cabot said last month that she believed the team should open the season with Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback, over Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Doing so would allow the first-team offense to gel as much as possible.
That prompted a response from Shedeur’s brother and former Colorado Buffaloes teammate, Shilo, who wrote, “Go make a sandwich, Mary,” in response to a video of the comments. The rebuke from Shilo, who once compared himself to Donald Trump, was widely condemned as misogynistic and unnecessary. He later went on Twitch and doubled down on his comment, criticizing Cabot for offering opinions and accusing her of holding something against Shedeur. He also accused her of not doing her research and making female sports reporters look bad.
Cabot, who was recently given the Bill Nunn Memorial Award, presented by the Pro Football Writers Association, for a “long and distinguished contribution to pro football through coverage,” took the high road.
Deion Sanders, Shedeur and Shilo’s dad, finally waded into the morass, saying it was an older brother sticking up for his younger brother.
“We don’t talk about nobody,” Deion said on The Barbershop with Garrett Bush. “We don’t do nothing to nobody. I know Shilo had a little altercation that he spoke up for his brother. You’ve got to understand, man, that’s his brother.
“And, God bless Mary Kay’s soul, that’s his brother. I mean, she said something, he said something, like media is different today. I know a lot of people don’t respect the old school. I do, because I grew up in that era that we didn’t have a say so … But Shilo spoke up for his brother, and he was ridiculed for that.”
It’s unclear whether Deion was unaware of the specific comment Shilo made or was simply trying to sidestep it. Shilo’s dad is making it sound like he was criticized over his explanation, which was not the case. It was the insulting language he used because he didn’t agree with Cabot’s take. The likely truth is that, if Cabot were male, Shilo would never have brought unnecessarily gendered insults into it.
The Sanders family has long had issues with being too online and creating drama for the sake of it.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.