Shane Gillis roasts Shedeur Sanders over Colorado jersey number retirement during ESPYS
Gillis made the remarks while hosting the ESPYS in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16, when he made fun of many sports celebrities and topics.
'Shedeur Sanders had his jersey number retired at Colorado this year, and people are saying it's because of nepotism, because of his father, and it's not' Gillis said. 'It's because he went 13-12 over his career, and he almost won the Alamo Bowl. Definitely not nepotism, right?'
The joke drew a muted response from the audience, with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson shown on ESPN looking down and smiling.
Shedeur Sanders, now with the Cleveland Browns, actually went 13-11 as starting quarterback at Colorado across the 2023 and 2024 seasons while playing for his father Deion, Colorado's head coach. But he is considered possibly the best quarterback in school history after breaking over 100 school records and reviving a program that went 1-11 in 2022, the season before he arrived.
The decision to retire his jersey number still was controversial, partly because it came less than four months after his last college game in the Alamo Bowl against BYU, which he lost, 36-14.
The decision also seemed to overlook other all-time Colorado greats, especially former Colorado quarterback Darian Hagan, who led Colorado to the national championship in 1990 and had a 28-5-2 record as QB. By contrast, Hagan's jersey number never was retired by Colorado.
The university said the decision to retire a player's jersey number is at the discretion of the athletic department administration and current head coach.
In April, the university announced the decision to retire the jersey numbers of Sanders and his teammate Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner. Before them, only four jersey numbers had been retired in CU's 135-year football history and none since 2017.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
18 minutes ago
- USA Today
Daniel Rodriguez couldn't end career without fighting Kevin Holland: 'Everyone's excited'
NEW ORLEANS – After multiple failed bookings, Daniel Rodriguez is happy to finally fight Kevin Holland. Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) takes on Kevin Holland (28-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) on Saturday's UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main card at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The pair were scheduled to fight at UFC 279 in September 2022, but a wild change up resulted in Rodriguez facing Li Jingliang, and Holland taking on Khamzat Chimaev. Holland said he owed it to Rodriguez to eventually fight him, and Rodriguez agrees. "Definitely – I've said it multiple times in my career, because this is actually the third time we're scheduled to fight," Rodriguez said during Wednesday's media day. "The fans want it, I want it, he wants it – everyone's excited for it. Definitely one of those fights I feel like I had to – I can't end my career not knowing what would have happened, so it's a great matchup." Rodriguez has rebounded with back-to-back wins after losing three fights in a row. He understands the value in beating a name like Holland, who's also on a two-fight winning streak. "It's huge," Rodriguez said. "It would definitely be one of the biggest wins of my career. I feel like it'll put me back in the rankings, and yeah, it's an amazing fight. I'm going to go out there and try my hardest to win."
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
TikTok's Campbell ‘Pookie' Puckett and Jett Puckett Share Advice for New Parents: ‘Trust Your Gut'
After welcoming their first child at the end of last year, TikTokers Campbell 'Pookie' Puckett and Jett Puckett have some advice for people jumping into parenthood for the first time. 'I would say just trust your intuition. Trust your gut,' Campbell, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly while attending the 2025 ESPYS on Wednesday, July 16. 'Whatever you think is best for your child and your family is best. Get out the noise. Take out the noise from other people and just hone in on your child and your family, and you're going to make the right decision.' Campbell and Jett, who tied the knot in 2018, welcomed daughter Paloma in November 2024. Jett, for his part, added that new moms and dads don't need to 'be scared.' TikTok Star Campbell 'Pookie' Puckett and Husband Jett Puckett's Relationship Timeline 'Just go for it. Go ahead and start making babies,' Jett, 34, told Us. 'That world needs more young people. It's very, very special to be a parent and bring life into the world.' The couple have loved being new parents and shared that Paloma is 'amazing.' 'She is the happiest baby,' Jett gushed. 'And the most beautiful. I got the two prettiest girls in the world.' Campbell noted that it's 'so emotional' watching Paloma grow every day. 'And she is just growing so fast and it is the best, the most rewarding thing,' she explained. 'She's been home with us, which has been a huge blessing. I am so grateful to be able to work from home.' Pregnant TikTok Star Campbell 'Pookie' Puckett and Husband Jett Puckett Reveal Sex of Baby No. 1 The former flight attendant said that having her daughter home with her is 'incredible.' 'I feel so lucky that I get to see her grow up,' she shared with Us. 'But thinking about her going to school is insane.' The couple, who first met in 2016, rose to internet fame when Jett would react to Campbell's outfits, coining the phrase, 'Pookie looks absolutely fire tonight!' Campbell and Jett have now amassed 1.5 million followers on TikTok — but the thing that is most important to them is their relationship with each other. 'I mean the key to knowing that you found the right person is when you can be your authentic self naturally, and they can be their authentic self. Naturally,' Jett explained to Us. 'That's when, you know, [you] found the right person, which is the most important thing. Then from there, don't think of it as two separate people. It's not Pookie and Jett, it's us together as a union.' Campbell 'Pookie' Reveals Favorite 'Special' Gift from Husband Jett Puckett — With a Nod to Paloma Campbell agreed with Jett, adding that they 'bring the best out in each other.' 'Truly. I am my best version of myself when I'm with him, so I think that says a lot,' she noted. Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Dustin Poirier wants Lil Wayne to wrap the BMF belt at UFC 318
From one Louisiana legend to another. NEW ORLEANS – It looks like Lil Wayne will get the honor to wrap the "Baddest Motherf*cker" belt around the winner at this weekend's UFC 318. This Saturday, the BMF title will be up for grabs as Max Holloway puts his belt on the line in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 318 – which takes place at Smoothie King Center (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). The BMF title, separate from the divisional UFC undisputed belts, has been presented on fight night by a special guest other than UFC CEO Dana White, who ordinarily crowns the champions. This time around, both Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) and Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) want that person to be rapper Lil Wayne – who will be walking out Poirier, a fellow Louisiana native, in his retirement fight. "Let Weezy do it," Poirier said when asked about it at Thursday's UFC 318 pre-fight press conference. Holloway has no objections, "I'm not going to disagree with that." There's been three BMF title fights since the inauguration of the belt – which was original supposed to be a one-off event. At UFC 244 in 2019, the inaugural night of the BMF title, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wrapped the belt around Jorge Masvidal, who defeated Nate Diaz. Then, it was a then retired Masvidal, who gave the belt to Justin Gaethje when he knocked out Poirier at UFC 291 on July 2023. In the most recent BMF title bout, which went down April 2024 at UFC 300, UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, who had just recovered from saving his parents from a house fire, wrapped the belt around Holloway, who knocked out Gaethje in one of the greatest knockouts in MMA history.
