Shilo Sanders is making it crystal clear: he's not taking back a single word he said about Cleveland Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot. The former Colorado safety has turned up the heat in his ongoing clash with the veteran journalist, accusing her of pushing a personal agenda against his brother, Shedeur Sanders.
It all started when Cabot reported that Deshaun Watson has the inside track to be Cleveland's starting quarterback, with Shedeur fighting an uphill battle for the job. Cabot didn't stop there—she suggested the Browns should just hand Watson the QB1 title immediately. That didn't sit well with Shilo, who fired off a sharp social media jab: “Go make a sandwich Mary.”
Cabot chose to take the high road when asked about the exchange on 92.3 The Fan, saying she's proud of the doors she's opened for women in sports media. But Shilo wasn't done. In a follow-up statement, he doubled down, accusing Cabot of letting emotion cloud her reporting. “If you're going to be a reporter, be a reporter and report facts,” Shilo said. “Whenever you have your opinion, and your opinion is always something hateful to Shedeur, it makes it seem like it's something weird, like it's an agenda that you have going on.”
Shilo's criticism goes beyond just this one incident. He questioned Cabot's professionalism, contrasting her with other women in the field who he says take their jobs seriously. “There's plenty of women in this field that take this serious and take reporting football serious and actually do homework… But with you, it's so much emotion that I don't want you to make women look bad when it comes to reporting.”
This isn't the first time Shilo has stirred the pot with a sideline reporter. He previously sparked controversy with a sexist remark aimed at a Browns beat writer, a story we covered in Shilo Sanders Stirs Controversy With Sexist Jab at Browns Reporter Mary Kay Cabot. Now, he's making it clear he won't apologize for standing up for his brother.
Meanwhile, ESPN Cleveland's Aaron Goldhammer argued that Shedeur hasn't gotten a fair shake. “If you're a Shedeur fan though, he had no chance last year, and this year, the owner of the Browns came in studio with us and said 'Deshaun Watson looks great.' … you've still got to feel like nobody is still giving this kid a real chance,” Goldhammer said. The tension around the Browns' QB situation is palpable, with fans already furious over the perception that Watson is being favored—a topic we explored in Browns QB Controversy: Fans Furious Over Watson Favored Over Sanders.
Browns head coach Todd Monken has tried to downplay the drama, insisting the competition is still open. “The number of reps a player gets doesn't eliminate competition,” Monken told reporters. “That doesn't mean there's not competition. I just see it as in a given day, and it'll be daily in terms of who gets what reps and when.”
Shedeur started seven games for the Browns last season, completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Whether he gets another real shot at the starting job remains to be seen, but his brother isn't about to let the narrative go unchallenged.
