NBA player Jaden Ivey has emerged as a major point of discussion after the former fifth overall pick’s controversial waiving by the Chicago Bulls, prompting former NFL player Shilo Sanders to weigh in on the situation. Ivey was axed from the Bulls after sharing a series of controversial messages online about his Christian faith and the NBA’s celebration of Pride Month. Reacting to these comments, Sanders highlighted how freedom of speech works for professional athletes in this social media-driven world.

“If you’re an athlete, you can’t really say or talk about a lot of things,” Shilo Sanders said during a livestream with Neon and Adin Ross. “That’s one thing I didn’t like. So you heard about the basketball player Jaden Ivey. So it’s like you can’t even give your opinion or anything. Bro, it’s like, why are you talking… Now you are waived. It was always something in my mind, even just as a person like you could never just be 100 percent authentic.”

With this reaction, Shilo Sanders highlights that athletes aren’t immune to problems caused by their opinions on issues. Furthermore, if these comments don’t fit with the cultural zeitgeist, it can lead to significant problems, as with Jaden Ivey. The former Detroit Pistons guard was waived for conduct detrimental to the team.

The Bulls made this decision hours after the 24-year-old posted a rant on social media about religion before criticizing the NBA’s celebration of Pride Month in support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

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“The world proclaims LGBTQ, right?” Ivey said during the video stream. “They proclaim Pride Month, and the NBA does, too. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.’ They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it on the streets. Unrighteousness.”

This rant was followed by another lengthy comment on social media, where Jaden Ivey questioned the Bulls’ decision by asking, “Why didn’t they just say, ‘We don’t agree with his stance on LGBTQ?'” Ivey’s NBA career has been marked by recurring religious remarks. According to ESPN, Ivey openly discussed his religious convictions while playing for the Detroit Pistons.

His remarks grew noticeably more intense after he was traded to the Chicago Bulls with veteran guard Mike Conley at last month’s trade deadline. Since then, Ivey’s rants have “agitated” some team staff members who described the 24-year-old as “preachy” around the locker room.

Shilo Sanders’ comments reflect a broader sentiment among athletes who feel they must constantly self-censor to protect their careers. However, this thought hasn’t stopped New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson from expressing his support of Jaden Ivey, before following it up with a powerful message of his own about faith.

TreVeyon Henderson shares a message of support for Jaden Ivey

After being waived by the Chicago Bulls, Jaden Ivey received support from New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson on X. The Pats star quote-tweeted a post about the 24-year-old while adding a Bible verse, Matthew 5:10, clearly stating his stance on the whole debate.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10,” TreVeyon Henderson wrote, replying to a tweet about the Bulls’ decision to waive Jaden Ivey.

Alongside this tweet, the Patriots running back also shared Bible verses like 2 Timothy 4:3-4, John 10:20, and Matthew 10:25 before concluding his message by saying, “The world calls us crazy, but God calls us sons and daughters.”

The Jaden Ivey situation has sparked a heated debate about how much athletes can freely express their personal beliefs without risking their careers. Shilo Sanders and TreVeyon Henderson have both shown their support for Ivey, but his case proves that social media posts can have very real professional consequences.