Browns Break Silence on Shedeur Sanders' Recent Legal Trouble

It has not been a banner week for Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who was cited twice for speeding this month as he’s locked in a heated quarterback battle heading into training camp.

The 23-year-old signal-caller was pulled over on June 17 for speeding and cited for going 101 miles per hour in a 60 mph zone. He’s due in court on July 3 for that incident.

Sanders was also cited two weeks prior for going 91 mph in a 65 mph zone by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on the final day of Browns OTAs. He failed to appear in court for that incident, but he’s since paid both fines, which cost him $269 and $250, respectively.

“I’ve made some wrong choices,” Sanders told reporters regarding his speeding issues. “I can own up to it. I’ve made some not great choices (in life). I learn from them.”

Some analysts have taken a hard stance on the issue, and others like FS1’s Colin Cowherd have stated they wouldn’t want Sanders on their roster because of his off-the-field concerns (Cowherd went as far as to say he’s rooting for Kenny Pickett to win the team’s QB battle).

But where does Sanders stand with the Browns themselves? According to one of the organization’s spokespeople, it seems the team is standing by the fifth-round pick as he gets his legal trouble sorted out.

“He is taking care of the tickets,” Browns chiefs communications officer Peter John-Baptiste told Cleveland.com, implying Sanders’ legal issues won’t affect his standing with the team.

Though he’s still listed fourth internally on Cleveland’s depth chart behind Joe Flacco, Pickett, and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, Sanders has actually impressed many around the team with his performance during OTAs and minicamp.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski has even given Sanders rave reviews based off what he’s seen.

“Shedeur is a great kid,” Stefanski recently told ESPN Cleveland. “He is working like crazy, like all the guys. My office is downstairs. They got to walk by my office when they come in. They get in early. Shedeur, just like all those guys, is in there early, getting his work done. He’s working really hard. I like everything about Shedeur.”

It seems Sanders will be given every chance to earn a roster spot during training camp next month and the preseason.

Should Flacco, Pickett and Gabriel perform better, Sanders is a popular pick to be traded before the regular season starts.