Comedian Shane Gillis received some backlash during the 2025 ESPY Awards after mocking the University of Colorado’s decision to retire Shedeur Sanders’ jersey number. The joke targeted Sanders’ performance and connection to his head coach and father, Deion Sanders.
The comment drew an uneasy reaction from the crowd. Critics quickly labeled the joke a swipe rooted in nepotism. CU Buffs insider Kevin Borba addressed the controversy on his show, stating that the remark was off-base and lacked understanding of the quarterback’s impact.
Shane Gillis Draws Criticism for Shedeur Sanders Joke at ESPYs
Gillis came under fire after his jab at Shedeur and Deion during his hosting stint at the 2025 ESPYS on July 16 in Los Angeles.
While opening the show with a string of athlete-related punchlines, the comedian took a swipe at Colorado’s decision to retire Shedeur Sanders’ No. 2 jersey. The joke struck many as unfair and reductive.
“Shedeur Sanders had his jersey number retired at Colorado this year, and people are saying it’s because of nepotism, because of his father, and it’s not,” Gillis said. “It’s because he went 13-12 over his career, and he almost won the Alamo Bowl. Definitely not nepotism, right?”
The line drew awkward reactions from the audience. The humor didn’t land for many, especially those familiar with Sanders’ impact in Boulder. Among them was CU Buffs insider Kevin Borba, who addressed the moment on his podcast, “Locked On Buffs.”
“There’s funny moments,” Borba said. “Shane Gillis is obviously an edgier comedian. I think the whole purpose of the ESPYs this year was to sort of get edgy, and Shedeur Sanders caught a stray.”
Borba acknowledged that the joke wasn’t unusual for a comedic event but still criticized the premise.
“Would I have retired his jersey a couple weeks after the season? I don’t know,” Borba said. “He left the school owning 100 records. He made a cultural impact that I don’t know if many programs in college football have ever experienced.”
Borba further broke down the controversy.
“People are going to forever be upset about Shedeur Sanders getting his jersey retired for two reasons,” Borba said. “One, he was one game over .500. Two, his dad’s the coach. Three, how soon it was. That’s never going to change.”
He added that “win-loss record is a terrible stat for quarterbacks” and emphasized the broader context of Shedeur’s contribution.
Before them, only four players had received the honor in CU’s 135-year football history. For Borba, the criticism missed the mark.
“At the end of the day, a joke’s a joke,” he said. “Laugh it off and move on. But I just want to talk about it because people are going to be mad about it.”
Sanders shockingly slid to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and was selected by the Cleveland Browns. In April, Colorado announced it would retire his jersey and that of Heisman winner Travis Hunter.