A lot has been said about the Sanders clan in light of NFL Draft weekend. Not like stuff wasn’t being said before, mind you. But Shedeur Sanders’ inexplicable slide cast a particularly bright spotlight onto him and, by extension, Deion Sanders. About how his proactivity and indulgence may have actually worked against his son. How there’s a fine line between being a present, stand-up father and being overbearing. Conceded, the NFL may have gotten cold feet since Deion is a bit of a package deal with his sons. But his family-oriented nature and love have permeated over to Shedeur and Shilo Sanders in a very positive way as well. The two have taken these emotions over to an orphan who needed it. To stop them from veering off course and slipping into a bad place, more than anything.
Damned if you do and damned if you dont. There’s a faction that believes the only reason Shedeur even got drafted is because he’s the kin of a gold jacket. A Canton-inductee. Conversely, there’s a faction that believes being Deion Sanders’ son is actually what caused him to slide to the 144th pick. Not directly, but because of the lifestyle and personality that being a Sanders has cultivated for Shedeur. Whatever side you’re on, one thing is unequivocal. The discourse and commentary around Shedeur Sanders’ flawed character has been overblown. After all, this is somebody with a largely clean track record off-field. You may have opinions on the QB, or the naive person who went into NFL interviews unprepared. Thinking, or actually led to think, he had it figured out when he didn’t. But at his core, Shedeur’s a good guy akin to his father. As is Shilo.
Granted, the case for Shilo Sanders is a little tricky. He’s in the midst of a bankruptcy case. It stems from another lawsuit he lost and was ordered to pay millions in damages for after he brutally beat up a security guard in high school. It’s a blemish on his image, no two ways about it. But it was a long time ago. If you saw the content around the Sanders’ draft party, and you probably did, you’d have come across a beautiful gesture from Shilo. He cracked a joke at his own expense in front of the world, just to alleviate the stress off of Shedeur. Whose career, quite literally, was tumbling in front of his eyes. It got a laugh out of Shedeur, and was a lovely “big brother” moment. Also at this party was an orphan who has been receiving the same brotherly love.
Over on IG, @thehiphoplab relayed some heartwarming bit of information to their 213k followers. “NFL stars Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders took rapper #YoungDolph’s son Trey under their wings after he passed away,” read the caption. “Dolph’s fiancé once said their son became very angry after his dad’s death. She even signed him up for karate, but he ended up fighting the coach.” This was accompanied by a video of Shedeur, Shilo and Trey at the Sanders crib. Trey was a prominent feature of the videos that surfaced on the airwaves from that aforementioned NFL draft party. There were plenty of people unaware of who the kid was, sitting on the couch right next to Shedeur while he’s sweating round 1 and seeing picks fly by him. Well, now you know.
As alluded to in the IG post, Trey was going through a troubled time after his dad, Memphis icon Young Dolph, became the victim of a homicide. This was back in 2021, when Trey must’ve been 6 or 7 years old. It’s inconspicuous when exactly Shilo and Shedeur Sanders lent a proverbial helping hand and took him “under their wings.” But it’s beautiful. These are two young adults who’ve been bestowed a lot of affection by their father Deion Sanders. Through thick, and especially through thin. So for them to do right by a kid and share some of that disproportionate affection onward is commendable. It’s a testament to their character, which has been scrutinized ad nauseam. Trey is very visibly happy to be around the two in every picture or clip. Which, in a vacuum, is heartwarming in itself after what he went through.
Deion Sanders’ sons’ humane actions followed an inhumane tragedy
You don’t really need to be a hip-hop head to have heard of Young Dolph. This was a rapper who managed to breach the underground scene and become a mainstream pull in the years preceding his untimely passing. Southern hip-hop going mainstream is usually restricted to Atlanta or maybe Florida. But Young Dolph, real name Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., put Memphis on the map. He even put on his cousin Key Glock, who still carries the flag for their city. Unfortunately, without Dolph by his side.
Young Dolph was murdered in cold blood, in the light of day, when leaving a bakery in his hometown. He was shot 22 times. It was one of the rare instances he was out and about without security, but this proved to be a fatal oversight. The news became a national story, with some very morbid videos also popping up on the airwaves. Stuff that you’d hope Trey was able to avoid laying eyes on.
Nobody can really fill the void of a father and what he brings to the table, both figuratively and literally. Shilo and Shedeur Sanders can probably attest to this more than most. But the pain of losing your dad can be eased if you’ve got good people around you. People who are conducive to your growth and maturation from a kid to an independent adult. It seems like Trey has that, courtesy of Sanders.
The post 10-YO Orphan Finds Guardian Angels in Deion Sanders’ Sons Who Give Him Hope After Father’s Tragedy appeared first on EssentiallySports.