Shedeur Sanders Responds to Thong Rumor Amid Viral Photo

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders found himself at the center of a peculiar rumor regarding his game attire after a photo of his backside circulated widely online.

In a candid exchange captured on his brother Shilo Sanders' YouTube channel, Shilo confronted Shedeur directly: “Let’s cut to the business, bro. Did you wear a thong or not?”

Shedeur, who recently took over as the starting quarterback, offered a straightforward explanation for the incident that occurred during the game against the Tennessee Titans on December 7. “You forgot I have a back injury, right?” he responded, referencing the tape used to support his back. “That is crazy that it did look like that. That’s funny, though.”

Shilo, seemingly skeptical, replied, “I know you wasn’t wearing no thong. You wouldn’t do nothing like that, right?”

“Nah, bro,” Shedeur clarified. “That was called back tape.”

The initial post by an NFL content creator that ignited the speculation amassed over 5 million views on social media platforms.

To combat the cold weather during games, Shedeur mentioned he has been wearing a suit-like garment under his jersey, which may have contributed to the confusion surrounding the back tape's appearance. “I know the shirt was short, so I was like, ‘Hey, this will mess up my drip a little bit, huh?’” he recalled asking a member of the Browns’ training staff. The response was reassuring: “Nah, fam. You good, bro.” Yet post-game chatter suggested otherwise.

Despite the distraction of the rumor and his back injury, Shedeur delivered an impressive performance against the Titans, throwing for 364 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 29 yards and another touchdown. This feat made him only the second rookie in NFL history to achieve such statistics in a single game, following Joe Burrow's record in 2020.

Following this standout performance, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Shedeur would retain his starting position for the remainder of the season. “I think [Shedeur] has constantly and consistently gotten better in each one of these games,” Stefanski stated during a press conference. “He’s been working very hard. So, I feel good about where his development is heading.”

The Browns are set to face off against the Chicago Bears on December 14, with additional home games against the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers before concluding their season against the Bengals.

Looking ahead to next season, ESPN analyst Peter Schrager expressed confidence in Shedeur's potential for a long-term starting role. “I think he absolutely has earned himself an opportunity to compete for that job,” Schrager noted on a recent broadcast. “He didn’t have that going into this season, so that’s a major plus from last year.”