“Shilo Sanders crossed the line with the Mary Kay Cabot ‘make me a sandwich’ comment. Just because he doesn’t think it’s misogynistic doesn’t make it any less grossly misogynistic.” Emmanuel Acho said on the latest episode of his Speakeasy show.

This situation really shines a light on the kind of challenges female sports reporters still deal with, something even someone as respected and experienced as Mary Kay Cabot hasn’t been immune to. She’s been on the Cleveland Browns beat since 1991 and has built a reputation for informed coverage over decades.

Cabot reported that Shilo’s younger brother, Shedeur Sanders, isn’t currently leading the race to become the Browns’ starting quarterback.

The way she sees it, Shedeur is behind veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson, who carries both experience and a significant contract. Cabot also shared her own take, insisting the Browns name Watson as the starter sooner rather than later so the offense can settle in and could “start to cook” together.

Shilo clearly didn’t take that opinion well and responded to it on Instagram on April 29.

“Go make a sandwich, Mary,” Shilo Sanders replied.

Shilo didn’t stop there. He took things a step further the next day, going live on his Twitch channel on April 30, where he continued to address the situation.

“This is to Mary Kay. If you’re going to be a reporter, be a reporter and report facts,” Shilo Sanders said. “Whenever you have your opinion and your opinion is always something hateful to Shedeur, then it makes it seem like it’s something weird, like it’s an agenda that you have going on,” Shilo said.

It was only last year when the Pro Football Writers Association recognized Mary Kay Cabot with the Bill Nunn Memorial Award, honoring her for a long and distinguished career covering pro football. She was celebrated at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a fitting stage for someone who’s been on the Browns beat longer than Shilo, now 26, has even been alive.

Shilo may have been joking, playing off the “start to cook” comment, but it didn’t land well. However, in the face of criticism, Shilo made it known that he views media as his lane and plans to make the most of it.

Former Colorado safety Shilo Sanders addresses backlash

Emmanuel Acho, who said that “Mary Kay is better at what she does than you are at what you do,” has now received a response to these remarks from Sanders himself during his appearance on the Coach JB Show.

“I don’t hate women. I love women,” Sanders said. “That is just stupid.”

Sanders presented his response as part of a bigger picture; he doesn’t just see himself as a rostered player but as someone carving out a space in media.

“I’m not on a team. I’m a media guy. No different than you. No different than her,” Sanders said. “If I see something that interests me, I can talk about it…This is my thing. I’m a grown man. I’m 26. I have my own platform. I’ve been building it for year and year while I’ve been playing.”

Shilo has moved on from football after wrapping up his college career at Colorado in 2024. Since then, he’s been exploring other paths, including modeling and building a presence as a social media influencer. He also appeared to delete his “sandwich” comment from Instagram on Thursday afternoon after it drew a wave of negative attention.

However, the panel on the Speakeasy continued to unpack the situation around Shilo Sanders, focusing on what he did after the initial controversy. They pointed out that his decision to appear on The Coach JB Show did not help his case and may have made things worse.

They specifically referenced past comments aimed at Mina Kimes, who has faced similar criticism in the past. The panel also noted that Coach JB had previously told Kimes to “go make a sandwich” during a disagreement over football analysis in October 2025 in a post on X.

In the end, the situation shows how quickly things can escalate and why every move matters when you’re in the public eye.