It was supposed to be another routine NFL offseason debate—but things took a sharp turn when Shilo Sanders fired off a comment that’s now blowing up across the sports world.
The 26-year-old son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders is facing heat after telling longtime Cleveland Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot to “go make a sandwich” in response to her take on the team’s quarterback situation.
Cabot, a respected voice who has covered the Browns since 1991, had reported that Shilo’s younger brother, Shedeur Sanders, isn’t currently leading the race for the starting quarterback job. Instead, she pointed to veteran Deshaun Watson as the likely frontrunner and suggested the team should name him QB1 soon so the offense can “start to cook.”
That’s when Shilo jumped in on Instagram with a comment that many saw as crossing the line.
“Go make a sandwich Mary,” he wrote—an old-school insult widely viewed as sexist, implying women belong in the kitchen.
The backlash was immediate.
To her credit, Cabot didn’t take the bait. When asked about the remark during a radio appearance on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, she kept things classy.
“I really do believe that I have been an inspiration for lots of women and young girls,” she said. “You can go out there and do a good job in a man’s world and take on all that comes with that.”
She avoided mentioning Shilo by name, instead emphasizing her role in helping open doors for women in sports journalism.
But Shilo wasn’t done.
Doubling down during a Twitch stream, he accused Cabot of letting emotion—not facts—drive her reporting.
“If you’re gonna be a reporter, be a reporter and report facts,” he said, suggesting she had an “agenda” against his brother. He went even further, claiming her coverage risked making “women look bad” in the field.
It’s a bold accusation—especially considering Cabot’s résumé. She was honored just last year with the Bill Nunn Memorial Award by the Pro Football Writers Association, recognizing her decades of work covering the NFL. She’s been on the Browns beat longer than Shilo has been alive.
Still, Shilo continued to criticize her opinions, telling her to “just chill” and calling her takes “crazy” when it comes to Shedeur’s standing with the team.
Notably, he never disputed the facts in her report—only her opinion that Watson should be named the starter sooner rather than later.
As the controversy picked up steam, Shilo quietly deleted the original Instagram comment. But by then, the damage was already done.
In a moment of levity amid the tension, radio hosts even asked Cabot about her sandwich-making skills.
Her response?
“I can make a mean grilled cheese with ham.”
The comment drew laughs—but the bigger conversation isn’t going away. The incident is once again putting a spotlight on the challenges female sports reporters continue to face, even at the highest levels of the industry.
And for Shilo Sanders, what may have started as a quick clapback has quickly turned into a full-blown PR headache.
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