Shedeur Sanders apologizes to reporters for recent press conference

After a shaky rookie season, Shedeur Sanders appears focused on improving his performance on the field and off the field with the media.

As the second-year Cleveland Browns quarterback battles with Deshaun Watson for the starting job, Sanders opened his latest press conference by apologizing to reporters.

“I want to apologize for how things was last time I came up here before you all,” Sanders said. “I dislike when it’s a lot of separation. When something gets between the team and people get painted a certain way and all this different type of stuff. That’s where I get frustrated, and I shut down. Because it just doesn’t help us win…I feel drained when I express myself to people and places and or cameras when it’s not perceived and taken the right way, or like we’re trying to divide the team or anything like that. I was trying to preserve my energy from going in depth with a lot of things.”

Looking back at his previous press conference from training camp, it’s hard to find anything Sanders did or said that was worthy of an apology. He was engaging on all of his answers except for one response to a question about how he views being in competition with Watson.

“Next question,” Sanders answered with a smile. “I answered this question a thousand times, we focus on ourselves and what we do and what we need to do to get better each and every day.”

It seems odd that Sanders would have been waiting nearly two weeks to apologize for saying next question. Maybe there was a different exchange Sanders was referring to when he apologized to reporters this week, but no one seems to have highlighted any issue between the Browns quarterback and the Cleveland media during training camp.

Sanders had several moments that could be perceived as missteps with the media last season. He battled with local reporters and radio hosts, he drew the ire of Rex Ryan after claiming he was “capable of doing better” than some starting NFL quarterbacks while he was still a third-stringer with the Browns. Sanders responded to Ryan accusing him of “running his mouth” by miming his answers the next time he met with reporters. And while Sanders didn’t always handle the media attention well during his rookie season, he was also put in the unprecedented position of receiving more coverage than any backup quarterback in NFL history.

Regardless of whether he just apologized for much ado about nothing, Sanders at least deserves credit for clearly wanting to have a better relationship with the media this season.