Emmanuel Sanders

Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders (born March 17, 1987) is an American football wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the2010 NFL Draft and played there for four years. He played college football at Southern Methodist University (SMU).

Early years
Sanders attended Bellville High School in Bellville, Texas, where he was a four-sport star in football, basketball, baseball and track. In football, in which he was most notable, Sanders was a first-team All-District performer atrunning back, wide receiver and safety. As a senior, he rushed for 499 yards with six touchdowns, hauled in 24 catches for 414 yards and a score while also throwing for a touchdown. On defense, he recorded 49 tackles and three interceptions. He was named Team MVP and Tri-County Offensive Player of the Year following his senior campaign. In all, he earned seven All-District honors during his high school career.

In track & field, Sanders lettered three years competing in sprints, relays and jumping events. At the 2004 Region III 3A Meet, he placed sixth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.47 seconds. At the 2005 District 20-3A Meet, he claimed the district title in the 400-meter dash after recording a career-best time of 49.87 seconds. In addition, he also ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, bench-pressed 290 pounds and squatted 340.

Recruiting
Regarded only as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Sanders chose SMU over scholarship offers from TCU, Kansas, Baylor and Houston.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Sanders during his tenure with the Steelers.

Despite being fourth on the Steelers' team depth chart for much of the 2010 season, Sanders still managed to finish off his rookie year with 28 receptions for 376 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders and the Steelers would reach the Super Bowl after they beat the New York Jets 24-19 in the AFC Championship game. In Super Bowl XLV, Sanders had 2 catches for 17 yards, but left the game with a foot injury. The Steelers lost 31-25 to the Green Bay Packers.

In 2011, Sanders became an integral part of the receiving corps on the team along with teammates Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown. The three players developed a nickname for themselves known collectively as the "Young Money Family" or "Young Money Crew," inspired by rapper Lil Wayne. Within the group, Sanders was sometimes referred to as "Easy Money" since his first initial is "E." The trio of receivers also dubbed the nickname "Bugatti Boys" for themselves, also after a rap group.

In 2012, Sanders was instructed to meet with league officials for falling to the turf with an alleged leg cramp during the Steelers' win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7; Pittsburgh could have used a timeout, but did not due to Sanders' "injury". On November 9, 2012, the league fined Sanders $15,000 and the Steelers $35,000 for the incident. NFL VP of Operations Ray Anderson used video evidence of Sanders out-sprinting his teammates, just one play after sitting out from his injury, as proof that the injury was fake. This is the first time in league history a player has been fined for faking an injury.

On April 10, 2013 the New England Patriots signed Sanders to an offer sheet that the Steelers had five days to match. On Sunday, April 14, the Steelers matched the offer sheet, meaning Sanders would stay with the team for the 2013 season.[12]

Denver Broncos
Sanders agreed on terms to sign with the Denver Broncos on March 15, 2014.The next day, after it was announced the contract was for $15 million for three years, executives representing the Kansas City Chiefs complained that Sanders' agent, Steve Weinberg, had accepted a deal with the Chiefs in principle.

In his debut as a Bronco, Sanders recorded 6 receptions for 77 yards in 31-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Sanders caught his first touchdown pass as a Bronco in a 42-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers on October 19, 2014, a game that also saw Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning become the all-time leader in career pass TDs. In the Broncos next contest, a 35-21 win over AFC West rivals San Diego Chargers, Sanders caught 9 passes for 120 yards and 3 touchdowns.

On November 16, 2014, during the Broncos' 22-7 loss against the St. Louis Rams, Sanders suffered a concussion after being hit by Rams corner Rodney McLeod.