Shilo Sanders isn’t currently on an NFL roster. However, if he signs with another team after being cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his paycheck will be missing a chunk.
The rookie safety was fined $4,669 by the NFL for throwing a punch at Buffalo Bills tight end Zach Davidson in last week’s preseason finale, according to multiple reports. He was subsequently ejected from the game. One day later, he was cut by the Buccaneers.
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The league office was apparently unswayed by another camera angle that showed Davidson’s fingers inside Sanders’ facemask while the two were locked up. The official didn’t call Davidson for grabbing the facemask at the time, but did penalize Sanders for throwing a punch.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles wasn’t happy about Sanders throwing a punch, which may have been a hint that he wouldn’t win a spot on the roster.
“You can’t throw punches in this league,” Bowles said afterward. “I mean, that’s inexcusable. They’re gonna get you every time. Gotta grow from that.”
Sanders, 25, tried to earn a spot on the Tampa Bay roster after going undrafted following two seasons at Colorado, where he played for his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
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Prior to playing in Boulder, Shilo Sanders also played for his father at Jackson State, where he earned second-team All-SWAC honors before suffering an ACL injury. He played his freshman and sophomore seasons at South Carolina. Sanders was also limited to 10 games during his senior campaign at Colorado due to a shoulder injury.
Following his release, Sanders posted a series of videos on Instagram in which he said music, modeling or acting might be in his future, rather than football.
Deion Sanders said that their family is “praying” that Shilo gets another opportunity for an NFL career. He added that his son is “a man of many talents and he’s going to be straight.”
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In the meantime, Shilo Sanders is also involved in a bankruptcy case in which he’s attempting to erase an $11 million judgment he incurred from allegedly assaulting a former security guard. The lawsuit against Sanders claimed that he caused “severe and permanent injuries including a broken neck, damage to his cervical spine, permanent neurological injuries and irreversible incontinence.”