When is helping your child a crime? Comedian Gary Owen calls out the hypocrisy of critics who attack Deion Sanders and LeBron James for supporting their sons’ professional careers. Owen argues that the complaints about nepotism are unfair and miss the point, as these families are simply doing what successful people in every industry do. It raises a major question: are fans holding these Black athletes to a standard no one else has to meet?
Why Are Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders Facing This Scrutiny?
Gary Owen recently defended the Sanders family by turning the criticism back on the accusers. “Because their kids aren’t shit. What are your kids doing? I want to see what your kids are doing,” Owen stated during a recent discussion. The comedian argued that nepotism is a fact of life and shouldn’t be viewed negatively. “Nepotism is not dead. I’m not mad at it,” Owen said, suggesting people should accept it as a reality.
Owen pointed out everyday examples that people accept without question. He explained that if a beat writer’s son wanted to follow in his parents’ footsteps, the parent would naturally try to secure an internship for him at their newspaper. This situation highlights how standard these practices are in many other professions.
Despite the criticism, Shedeur Sanders has already started to prove his worth on the field. The Cleveland Browns selected the quarterback in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after a standout college career at Colorado, where he threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. He finished his college tenure with over 14,000 passing yards and an impressive 70.1% completion rate.
His father, Deion Sanders, has consistently defended his son against these nepotism claims. While appearing on the “Club Shay Shay“ podcast in 2022, Coach Prime was direct with Shannon Sharpe, saying, “Not nepotism. That ain’t nepotism. That’s real. You better go get the film and watch. That’s real.”
The Browns seem to agree, as they plan to give Shedeur playing time when he is ready, with a game plan designed to fit his abilities. This commitment from the organization shows that the team values his potential far beyond any family connections. The move could provide a much-needed spark for their offense, which is currently the 30th-ranked unit in the PFN Offensive Impact Metric with an F grade and a 56.1 impact score.
How Does This Compare to LeBron James and Bronny James?
Owen’s defense also extends to LeBron James and his son, Bronny. He noted that the attention on Bronny is good for business and doesn’t mean he received special treatment. “And it sells tickets. And he didn’t get no real special treatment. You still got a ball of being the NBA. The worst NBA player is running people at the YMCA,” Owen remarked, emphasizing that making it to the league requires elite talent regardless of your name.
During their discussion, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III supported Owen’s perspective. “Why are people mad that he set Bronny up for success, but they don’t get mad at any of the number of high level CEOs or comedians or business people, business producers in Hollywood? They all set their children up. I mean, Adam Sandler has all of his kids in every single one of his movies,” Griffin pointed out.
Ultimately, Owen’s comments highlight a simple truth: successful people in all fields help their children get a foot in the door. From there, it is up to individuals like Shedeur and Bronny to perform at an elite level, since no family influence can keep them on a roster if they don’t deliver.
This honest assessment suggests the critics may be projecting their own limitations onto situations where talented people receive support from their families on the path to success.