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Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ attempt to promote his brand was quickly thwarted by NCAA officials on Saturday.
Ahead of the No. 21 ranked Buffaloes’ Big 12 faceoff against Texas Tech, Sanders traversed the field at Jones AT&T Stadium while donning a shirt promoting his brand, SS2 Legendary. But as seen in several clips circulating online, he was asked by referees on hand to change out of the garment and instead wear Colorado gear.
Sanders promptly obliged, taking off the shirt – which donned a photo of himself on the back – and throwing on a No. 2 sweatshirt near midfield. Yet droves of fans slammed the NCAA for making him change, taking out their anger on social media.
“Refs ruin EVERYTHING,” one X user wrote, with another adding: “It’s going to be a long day, I ain’t never heard of refs doing no mess like this.”
A third asked, “So college athletes can get a cut of the revenue but not promote their own business?”
In reality, Sanders’ outfit likely violated two NCAA regulations – hence why he was asked to switch shirts. According to the organization’s football rule book, “Advertisements are not allowed on the uniform or any items of apparel.” In addition, all player’s jersey numbers must be visible during pregame warmups, as per a new rule passed ahead of the 2020 season.
Regardless, Sanders has managed to shine both on and off the gridiron as a successful business man and quarterback. On3 recently gave him an NIL valuation of $6.2 million, making him the highest valued active college athlete. LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne ranks close behind in second at $4 million, followed by Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter ($3.4 million) and Texas quarterback Arch Manning ($3.1 million).
Sanders has additionally continued to shine with the Buffaloes, likely positioning himself to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Entering play Saturday, he’d completed 220-of-300 passes for 2,591 yards, 21 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
