4X Super Bowl champ Rob Gronkowski breaks silence on Shilo Sanders' questionable hit during UCLA clash - "This is coaching tape"
One of the highlights of the Colorado vs UCLA game of week 9 was when safety Shilo Sanders got ejected in the second quarter. Many believed that the decision taken by the officials for the tackle was a harsh one and started calling it out on social media.
The latest person to join this bandwagon is 4X Super Bowl champ and former NFL TE Rob Gronkowski. He recently retweeted a post made by former NFL QB Richard Sherman, who said that the overtly strict rules and regulations of the modern game are "ruining football".
In his tweet, Gronkowski mentioned that he agrees with Sherman on his stance. He then went on to analyze and break down the play made by Shilo Sanders.
"Richard baby, I 100% agree with you. This is coaching tape. That is the exact location on my body I would want to be hit in a situation like that, receiving the ball and not seeing my blindside. If he went low, the chances of him being out for the season from an injury goes wayyyy up."
The Colorado Buffaloes were ahead with a 6-0 lead as the first quarter came to an end. But in the second quarter, when Carsen Ryan was making a reception, Shilo Sanders made a tackle on him, which at first glance, looked like he was leading in with his shoulders.
But as he started to celebrate the tackle, the penalty flag was put up, which put him in a state of disbelief. Initially, the officials gave Shilo Sanders a 15-yard penalty for targeting. But they decided to eject him for the night as the review suggested the crown of Shilo's helmet collided with the face mask of Carsen Ryan.
Shilo Sanders predicted a similar fate for himself during week 3
Fans will remember when during the game against Colorado State in week 3, Henry Blackburn made a rough tackle on Travis Hunter. However, Blackburn was not ejected, and Hunter remained out for almost a month after sustaining a lacerated liver.
Post that game, Shilo Sanders had opened up about how if he had made a similar tackle on the field, he would be ejected immediately.
"If one of us did something like that, if I did that, I think it would be like way crazy, way crazier than that. They would have kicked me off for sure," Shilo said.
But in the end, the Buffs lost against UCLA 28-16. This brings their 2023 campaign to a 4-4 record, and their hopes of making it to a Bowl game seem to be like a distant dream.