Shedeur Sanders got a rock star welcome from 500 kids in Ohio — see what happened

BROOKLYN, Ohio — If Shedeur Sanders’ budding music career ever takes off, he’ll already know what it feels like to be a rock star. Fresh off co-hosting a passing camp for teammates in Miami this week with Deshaun Watson, Sanders conducted a free youth football camp for 500 kids from third grade to eighth grade at Brooklyn High School in Brooklyn, Ohio. Shortly after stepping off the plane, Sanders walked into the youth camp to the cheers and screams from hundreds of kids who at first charged him like he was the hottest rapper in the country. So boisterous were the kids that Browns and camp staffers had to calm them down with clap sequences and pleas over the loudspeaker. Later, when he awarded a diamond pendant to the winner of a grab-the-flag contest, the screams crescendoed again. Such is the life of the Browns’ celebrity quarterback, who’s locked in a duel with Watson for the Browns starting job. “Oh, I’m a superhero in my world anyway,” Sanders said with a smile before the kids headed over to a separate field for food and inflatables after hours of football drills. “So nah, overall I’m truly excited that they’re excited to see me and stuff. I would say most of the time, usually as athletes and everything, we’re isolated more. So it’s about getting in the community and just seeing everybody and seeing the inspiration that we give just by showing up. And it’s a very simple task, so I truly appreciate it.” With his heated battle with Watson resuming July 29 when training camp opens, Sanders looked fit and relaxed, and sounded upbeat. “Right now it’s an amazing day,” he said. “Look at the sky, you hear the music, look at the merch everybody has on. Look at the teamwork that it took for us to all come here and be able to get this done. And I’m truly happy. I’m truly amazed by it. And just one thought came to life and that’s what I just stand for.” His mindset heading into the two-way competition, which could last through the three preseason games? “My mindset, I would say, is how I think every day,” he said. “Yeah, how I think every day is my mindset. Be the best. Be the best person I could be, whether that’s on the field, off the field, in the community, spiritually, emotionally, everything. I just try to be the best.” Sanders was also buoyed by passing camp that he and Watson hosted in Miami for teammates such as Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, Cedric Tillman, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Jamari Thrash, Dylan Sampson and Gage Larvadain. While Sanders flew home Sunday afternoon to host the youth camp, Watson and some of the receivers remained in Miami. “I think it was extremely important that us as a group, for whoever was available, was available to come down to Miami,” Sanders said. “And there were a couple other players that schedules didn’t align with it, but it’s all good for those that came and stuff. It was truly amazing. And we felt a different type of bond just outside of the facility, outside of these things. “And we all vow to continue doing our part and keep it going while we’re here. Those relationships and how funny it is when you have a lot of dialogue and in different situations where a lot of your teammates is very fun and it’s exciting. You create these real memories, these real bonds, and it’s irreplaceable. So I’m truly thankful that it happened. I know everybody that came was excited and we had a great time.” Larvadain, who joined Sanders at the youth camp on Sunday, agreed that the passing camp was beneficial from a football and camaraderie standpoint, noting that “it was great.” Perhaps best of all for the offensive players, Sanders and Watson presented a united front amid their heated battle. The two are waging a no holds barred competition, but came together in the name of unity in Miami to help revive the offense. “I would say it’s the same thing that we’ve been saying from Day 1,” Sanders said. “We’re both trying to be the best version of ourselves we could be. So we’re not going to let anything get in between of that. So it’s a level of respect that we all in the quarterback room have for each other. And we’re not really emotional when it comes to things that we can’t control. We mainly focus on and thrive on getting better in the work every day. So if I like something he’s doing, I ask. If he likes something I do, then (he) asks. It’s conversation and that’s what’s most effective.” With a full year and seven NFL starts under his belt for a 3-4 mark, Sanders feels more comfortable asserting himself as a leader. “I wouldn’t say it’s a hard task at all,” he said. “It’s just conversation. But I would say it’s just a different space that we’re all in. As a team, as individuals, we all feel more confident in ourselves and that’s kind of what we thrive on. So it’s kind of like understanding what that togetherness and really understand the dynamic of the league. “You’ve got to earn the respect of your teammates and everything. You just can’t come in and dictate. That’s not a form of respect in the locker room and we understand that. So it just took time and a lot of relationships and to keep players to be able to get on the same page and be able to do it and it’d be fun. And it doesn’t feel forced.” Coming on strong as Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp wore on, Sanders believes he’s improved in every aspect of his life. His emergence midway through spring ball was so profound that coach Todd Monken was unable to decide between Sanders and Watson as his QB1 by the end of the minicamp, as he had hoped to do. “I would say if you talk to me, do you feel like I improved?” he asked a reporter. “OK. So I improved in that, I improved in that space,” he said. “I would say overall, everything I improved. I would say the way I sleep, the way I breathe, the way I drink water, the way I do everything in my life I improved. So everything improved.” At the outset of the camp, Sanders had the kids raise their wrists in his trademark “Perfect Timing” move and then shout out a thank you in the stands to all the parents who made it possible for their kids to attend. His own mom, Pilar Sanders, was at the camp to cheer on Sanders and the kids. “I remember going to a lot of these camps, but my dad really ran everything,” he said. “But it was fun. Now I understand how hard it was for my parents to do all this. They had a youth league team that had thousands of kids in it. Getting all these different factors that play into it when you’re dealing with a lot of different personalities, a lot of different parents, a lot of different things, it’s truly draining, and it’s a lot. So I respect a lot of those people and everybody that has teams, foundations, all these different things where you got to get everybody on the same page at a same time. So it’s truly hard, but I appreciate it.” Sanders didn’t mind getting mobbed by the kids and having to calm them down. He’s used to the spotlight and the adoration. He’s done plenty in the Cleveland community, including helping to host the Garden Valley Fun Fest at the Rainbow Terrace Apartments last July following a tragic fire there the previous month. He’s also spoken to the kids at John Marshall High School and other local schools. “I feel like I like to walk around and touch people,” he said. “I like that. I would say throughout everything, these are the people that kept me going, that supported me. So I’d be a fool to not give back to those that gave to me when I most needed it. So that’s why I do it. I find fulfillment doing it, by seeing all these different tasks and all these different activities get completed. “Then for me it’s like, OK, now I’m thinking what’s next? How can we improve this one? How can we make sure we have trash cans all over the field to make sure there’s no trash on the field. We try to think about how can we improve each and every time that we do it. So this was just the first one. So this is an amazing start. Everybody’s healthy. The gear that they have on look good and everybody’s out here smiling. So that’s what it’s about.” He was treated like a star, and if he wins the starting job, he’ll have a chance to become one.