The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today announced they have waived safety Shilo Sanders. This decision was made only one day after his ejection in a preseason game vs. the Buffalo Bills on Saturday evening. He punched tight end Zach Davidson in the face during the kerfuffle. This skirmish occurred after a hectic bout of crosscourt heavy shoving and elbows thrown just before halftime.
The ejection occurred just minutes after Sanders had been called for unnecessary roughness during the game. He was already under fire for an obvious pass interference call in the first quarter. This led people to question his discipline around the field. As the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, the young player lived up to – and fell short of – infamous publicly high expectations. He signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent following this year’s NFL Draft.
Third, Shilo Sanders had been competing for the fourth and final safety roster spot. He played mostly as a rotational backup, spelling future first-rounder Antoine Winfield Jr. He was battling with teammates Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom for that slot. The ejection endangered his standing on the team. It exposed all of his challenges in maintaining a cool demeanor during stressful situations.
After the game, Tampa Bay’s head coach Todd Bowles addressed the incident, but he didn’t defend it. This type of cheap-shot behavior is unacceptable.
“You can’t throw punches in this league — that’s inexcusable. They’re going to get you every time. You’ve got to grow from that.” – Todd Bowles
Following the ejection, Sanders’ agents quickly released him and hoped that bright scenario. They thought someone else would pick him up on waivers. He is at an important crossroads in his story. Though he got off to a rough start on the pitch, he’s committed to making his mark in the league.
The Buccaneers took on the Buffalo Bills in a physical preseason bout, coming up short 23-19. This loss spelled the end of the road for an undermanned, understaffed team that healing up for the regular season to come.
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