‘Went separate ways’ – Shedeur Sanders reveals Cam Ward message as NFL insiders clash over Browns QB

Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders were two of the hottest names heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.

Both lit up the college football field and built big profiles away from it.

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They even worked out together, became close and exchanged lighthearted digs as they prepared to enter the pros, both touted as top picks in the months building up to the draft.

Then came the big night.

Indeed, one was taken by the Tennessee Titans as the first overall pick, but the other fell through five rounds before being selected by the Cleveland Browns at 144.

Ward has been a starter since Week 1 with the struggling Titans, while Sanders had to wait until Week 11 to see the NFL field.

Their journeys in the NFL to date couldn’t be more different, but on Sunday, the paths of two top rookie names will cross once again when the 3-9 Browns host Tennessee (1-11) at Huntington Bank Field.

Shedeur Sanders sends Cam Ward message ahead of Week 14

Realistically, there is little riding on the game. Both teams have been poor in 2025, and look almost certain to finish bottom of their respective divisions.

Bragging rights between two young competitors is about the only thing up for grabs.

And Sanders is up for the challenge.

“Cam’s competitive, it’s always fun, getting out there, training with him,” he said, previewing the showdown.

“And then, we both ended up getting drafted, and we both went our separate ways.

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“That’s really everybody that I played in college with almost, everybody’s focused on what they got to do, and it’s all love whenever we see each other.”

While it will be ‘all love’ on the field between Ward and Sanders on Sunday, there has been some beef in the press corps ahead of Week 14.

NFL insiders in bitter clash over Shedeur Sanders

Sanders’ name has been in the national spotlight ever since he suffered that shock draft slide back in April, and nobody has been afraid to share their opinion on the rookie, positive or negative.

Zac Jackson, a Browns reporter for The Athletic, has seen 42 other starting quarterbacks come and go for Cleveland.

He has provided plenty of analysis about their latest star — some of which, apparently, has not gone down well.

Speaking on a recent episode of his Zac Jackson and Friends podcast, the beat reporter revealed he has been dealing with abuse over his work.

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He claimed to have received a number of messages, one as a DM on social media and another on email, with the subject line ‘BIGOT’.

Jackson noted the messages were ‘vile’ and that they contained ‘baseless, ridiculous personal claims’.

He read some of them during a now-removed podcast, which was covered by Awful Announcing.

During that episode, he suggested the sender had the last name Anderson — and took that to mean she was related to Josina Anderson, one of Sanders’ most outspoken supporters.

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Jackson, who believes he has spoken mostly positively about the rookie, has since addressed the situation in a clip that can be found in place of the original episode on Spotify.

“This podcast was originally recorded last Tuesday… one of the last things I discussed on it was a series of emails and social media messages I have received from someone who was presenting themselves as the sister of Josina Anderson,” he explained.

“These messages were bad enough that I felt I had to reply. And that was right. Looking back on it, I probably should not have taken the next step and taken them to this public platform.

“No one told me to do this, but in light of it going viral and causing way more discussion than it was ever worth, I’m just going to say: I’m going to take the podcast down, and I’m not going to talk about it anymore.

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“The messages remain ridiculous, the messages remain curious, but in many ways, I didn’t need to jump further in.

“I don’t gain from it, and you, the listener, don’t gain from it… I’m just going to wipe it.”

Josina Anderson rubbishes Zac Jackson abuse claims

While Jackson has since removed his podcast, the viral claims did reach Anderson, who responded on social media.

“This defamatory accusation from (Zac Jackson) of The Athletic on his podcast, is categorically false,” she wrote on X, quoting the initial report from Awful Announcing.

“I do not have a sister named ‘Sheila Anderson,’ nor do I have a sister who reached out to Zac Jackson in any form or fashion.

“I listened to the reported podcast, and I can’t believe that Jackson would so recklessly share that story on his platform without checking with me first and verifying the false claim. I will handle this with the appropriate action.”

Even without stepping onto the field this week, Sanders has once again found himself at the center of a bitter row which, in reality, he has absolutely nothing to do with.

He will be hoping to get the better of the Titans on Sunday to give reporters something worthwhile to argue about.

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