Jason McCourty reacts to Shedeur Sanders miming answers to media: 'You've got to grow up in the league'

After Shedeur Sanders’ viral session with the media on Wednesday, reaction came in from across the NFL. That includes Super Bowl champion Jason McCourty, who works as an analyst for CBS and ESPN.

Sanders made headlines for appearing to mime answers to reporters Wednesday, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the decision was in response to comments made by Rex Ryan. The former New York Jets head coach criticized Sanders on Get Up earlier this week as he sits as QB3 on the Cleveland Browns’ depth chart.

McCourty, though, said he understands Sanders’ position given the success during his high school and college football careers. But when it comes to playing in the NFL, he cited the need to “grow up” a bit.

“It’s hard for a guy like Shedeur where you’ve been a superstar for the majority of your life and you’ve been the one in the spotlight,” McCourty told Jim Rome. “Now, the media’s showing up in the locker room and the only time they’re coming to talk to you is not about your play. It’s not about something you did on Sunday. It’s more for a reaction of what’s going on around you. The one thing I’ll say is, no team in the NFL wants their third string quarterback to be going viral for anything inside of the locker room. I don’t know what the reasoning is behind him doing the interview and not saying any words and just mouthing. I don’t know if it’s purely, he made a bet with somebody in the locker room and, ‘Look how I handle these interviews.’

“But I think there’s a maturity to it. You’ve got to grow up in the league. You may not always have the circumstances you anticipate or the ones that you want. But I don’t think those are the actions that you want possibly your future starting quarterback in the NFL to have at any point throughout the course of their career.”

Shedeur Sanders’ media session came after the Browns officially named Dillon Gabriel the starting quarterback, benching Joe Flacco. However, Flacco will serve as the primary backup, leaving Sanders as the third-string quarterback on the roster.

Video of Wednesday’s interview made its way around social media quickly. In the aftermath, Schefter said people around the league – not to mention the organization – took notice.

“You’re a quarterback in the NFL,” Schefter said Wednesday on SportsCenter. “You’re expected to hold yourself in a professional, mature manners. You speak to reporters at certain times. Yes, he thought he was being clever and cute and funny, responding to Rex Ryan. But it didn’t come off that way. It came off unprofessional. A lot of people don’t realize that’s what he was doing.

“And that’s part of learning what you can and can’t do in the National Football League. Other people noticed it, people in his organization noticed it, people outside of the organization noticed it. Yes, he was responding to Rex Ryan. But many people will not know that and that message will get lost by others.”