The NFL is looking into how Shedeur Sanders’ private phone number was leaked and used for a prank call during Day 2 of the draft, a league official told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday.
As Sanders continued to fall into the second day of the draft Friday, video surfaced on social media of the quarterback receiving a call from someone impersonating New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.
“It’s been a long wait, man,” the person said. “We’re going to take you with our next pick, man, but you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that.”
The person hung up the phone, and a confused Sanders told the crowd gathered for his draft party, “What does that mean?”
In a conference call with Cleveland-area reporters after he was drafted by the Browns in the fifth round Saturday, Sanders said he wasn’t bothered by the prank call.
“It didn’t really have an impact on me,” Sanders said, “because it was just like, I mean, OK, like I don’t feed into negativity or I don’t feed into that stuff. You’ve seen on Deion [Sanders] Jr.’s YouTube video. My reaction to it, I don’t — it is what it is. I think of course it is childish. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there.”
Following the call, the video showed Sanders and his draft party watching as the Saints selected former Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick.
In another video, Sanders said he was given a private phone from Boost Mobile for the draft and that the number was given only to NFL personnel.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski criticized the prank callers Saturday, saying “people are morons” and calling the situation “sad.”
Sanders’ slide ended when the Browns traded up to select him with the 144th overall pick. He was the sixth quarterback selected in the draft and the second that Cleveland took; the Browns picked former Oregon standout Dillon Gabriel with the 94th overall pick Friday night.
