Shilo Sanders just got hit with another low this week. Nearly a month after being waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the safety learned that his appeal to overturn a $4,669 fine for the preseason altercation had been denied. The NFL automatically deducts fines from players’ pay, and since Sanders is no longer on a roster, the penalty remains in effect. Not long after learning his fine wouldn’t be overturned, Sanders wandered through the streets of Ybor City, mocha in hand, sharing his thoughts on it all. 

While passing a shop with “CIGAR” on the window in a recent vlog on his YouTube channel, Sanders joked about grabbing one to ease the stress of the week. “The good news is that I’m on your street in Eeee-bor, and I could just get a cigar,” he said with a grin. “You know what I’m saying? To take the stress away today. I need a cigar. Now, Dad, I know you’re going to say what you’re going to say, but I know you’ve gotten fined before, so you know how it feels.” Shilo clearly knows his dad wouldn’t exactly give a thumbs-up to the cigar comment, even if it was just a joke.  After all, Coach Prime has often made his stance on smoking crystal clear.

Talking about games at Folsom Field, Deion once laughed about being surprised by the smell of weed in the stands. “I’ve never been high a day of my life, so that’s kind of new to me,” he said, shaking his head at the novelty. Back in Colorado, Coach Prime is famously strict with his players: smoking carries immediate consequences, no second chances. “You embarrass us and this university, you will not get a second chance to do it. If I smell smoke on any floor, or somebody tells me you’re smoking on that floor, that will be your last puff,” he’d shared in a video with Thee Pregame Network before their Alamo Bowl against BYU. But fines– those aren’t new to Deion either. 

During his NFL days, he racked up multiple penalties for uniform violations, and now, he’d like to see similar standards and fines applied in college football. At Big 12 media days, he didn’t hold back on his frustration with players wearing their pants down to their thighs. “We’ve got guys in biker shorts. That makes me sick because I’m a football guy– I played this game at a high level and I have so much respect for this game,” he said. Sanders suggested enforcing the rules with fines, saying, “I think there should be a fine implemented for that stuff, and let’s have more respect for this tremendous game.”

Given his own experiences with penalties, it’s easy to see why he might understand, if not completely sympathize with, his son’s recent run-in with the NFL’s fine system. As for Shilo, he might still have to pay the fine, but as he made clear in the video he posted right after being waived, there’s no bitterness.

“My time being up here with the Buccaneers has been nothing but great. The city, my teammates, my coaches, everybody’s always poured in love and support towards me, and I’ll forever be grateful for that,” he had said . And looking ahead, Sanders remains optimistic about what comes next, thanks to his “a lot of talents to do other things other than play football”.