Cleveland Browns analyst Tony Grossi has cleared the air on his altercation with rookie Shedeur Sanders following the team’s preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. The analyst was captured on video approaching Sanders, sparking a back-and-forth. The pair finally laughed before Sanders moved on.
Browns Analyst Explains Awkward Exchange with Shedeur Sanders in Carolina
Sanders has been the talk of the Browns’ offseason since before he was even on the team. Some expected the team to draft him with the second overall pick back in April. The quarterback then became the talk of draft weekend, both despite and because of his fall to the 144th pick.
Shedeur Sanders is currently going VIRAL for confronting a reporter after the yesterday’s game.
“I’m hoping you got something positive to say. You only say negative things about me. And I ain’t done nothing to you.”
The Browns rookie QB is KEEPING receipts 😳 pic.twitter.com/N1KowMzUEy
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) August 9, 2025
Since being drafted, Sanders has dominated the attention in Cleveland, both for his misdemeanors off the field and for his lack of opportunities on it. That changed in Carolina, though, as injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel meant Sanders started the team’s first preseason game.
Sanders shone against the Panthers, completing 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Despite his outstanding debut, though, Sanders appeared less than impressed with Grossi in an awkward exchange after the game.
Speaking to ESPN Cleveland, Grossi claimed not to remember much of the conversation but was adamant that it ended on good terms.
“I actually came up to him and we were both laughing by the end,” – @TonyGrossi on his postgame interaction with Shedeur Sanders. pic.twitter.com/wTYjqhyqcZ
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 11, 2025
“After [Sanders] got off the podium and was walking to the locker room, I was behind him and – not shouted – called his name for him to stop; I wanted to ask him one more question. So he didn’t come directly to me; I actually came to him first, and we’re both laughing at the end.
“He started saying, ‘Why do you hate me?’ And my response was, ‘Listen, I do say positives; I write positive things about you.’ And I said, ‘This is your big night; congrats, you had a big night.'”
When initially approached, Sanders was clearly unhappy with the reporter, pointing accusatively in Grossi’s face and even putting his hands on the analyst. Grossi has received regular backlash on social media for what some fans feel is a bias against Sanders, and it’s clear that the quarterback agrees.
The conversation regarding the quarterback’s fall in the draft escalated beyond the norm, with some notable analysts suggesting that Sanders had been racially discriminated against. The controversy resulted in the quarterback gaining more vocal and passionate support from believers than would be the norm for a rookie, and Grossi has felt the wrath.
