Deion Sanders Jr.’s Mom Breaks Her Silence on Shedeur’s Draft Saga Months After Son Revealed Her Financial Woes After Split from Coach Prime
Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ first wife, Carolyn Chambers, has popped out to defend his son Shedeur Sanders after he was surprisingly snubbed in the 2025 NFL draft.
Despite not being the quarterback’s biological mother, Chambers showed powerful family solidarity in the face of mounting criticism that Shedeur (and his dad) are too arrogant and skipped the combine, a try-out that most NFL hopefuls attended before the draft.
Despite years of complicated family dynamics and reported financial struggles following her 1998 divorce from Coach Prime, Chambers demonstrated that when it comes to his kids, she has all of their backs, including her ex-husband’s three children with his second wife, Pilar Sanders.
The first round of the NFL draft closed without Shedeur’s name being called, shocking fans and analysts who had projected him as a top-10 pick. He would have to wait days later in the fifth round pick to find a professional football home with the Cleveland Browns.
As criticism mounted against both father and son — with critics labeling Shedeur as “cocky” and Coach Prime as “overbearing” — Chambers stepped into the fray with a pointed social media response.
Chambers reposted in her Instagram stories a statement from Terry Bradshaw Jr., a Church of God and Christ pastor, who highlighted what many view as a double standard in the treatment of Black football families compared to their white counterparts.
“It’s cool when they do it. It’s a problem when we do it!” read the beginning of the pastor’s message, which Chambers shared.
The now-viral post went on to draw direct comparisons between the Manning family —Archie, Peyton, and Eli — and the Sanders family, noting how Archie Manning’s involvement in his sons’ careers was praised as beneficial while Deion’s similar approach with Shedeur has been characterized as problematic.
“NY Giants, media and all the owners in the NFL — What’s the difference between the Mannings & the Sanders that causes you to label one family a picture of success and the other a picture of high risk???” the shared message pointedly asked.
Chambers did not mention Deion’s other son, Shilo, who went undrafted in the 2025 NFL draft and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent.
Deion Sanders celebrating Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders being in the NFL on the twitch stream pic.twitter.com/bgvAA4WPru
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod
(@big_business_) April 26, 2025
The support comes at a particularly poignant time, as family relationships within the Sanders clan have publicly weathered significant challenges.
Last year, Deion Sanders Jr. claimed on a podcast that his mother (Chambers) had fallen on hard financial times, partly from supporting his entrepreneurial endeavors.
“My mom needs help paying the bills cuz now she’s broke because she done helped me out too much,” Sanders Jr. confessed in the 2024 interview, explaining how his mother had used mortgage money to help fund his business dreams while he waited to access his trust fund.
Yet when it mattered most — when Shedeur faced public scrutiny and professional disappointment — Chambers didn’t hesitate to rally behind him.
Her support aligns with the personal philosophy she shared in a March 2025 social media post: “A woman who allows only a few people into her personal space is secure in who she is. She values quality over quantity and prioritizes her family and positive relationships over money.”
For Chambers, who has positioned herself as a woman of faith who “does not tolerate negativity,” defending Shedeur demonstrates that family bonds can transcend past tensions and divorce papers.
This isn’t the first time the extended Sanders family has shown unity despite their differences. Coach Prime has maintained respectful connections with Chambers, even tagging her in birthday messages to their daughter Deiondra and praising their son Deion Jr.’s candor about family matters.
Chambers even seemed to throw her support behind her 57-year-old ex allegedly dating 36-year-old influencer and actor, Karrueche Tran, by reposting him when all of the news about them hanging out hit the fan.
As Shedeur prepares for the next stages of his NFL process, he now moves forward with the knowledge that his support system extends beyond his immediate household — a powerful reminder that in the Sanders family, critiques from the outside world are met with a united front.