Deion Sanders has faced considerable criticism throughout his career, from his playing days to his tenure as the Colorado Buffaloes’ head coach.
Sanders joining the Buffaloes before the 2023 college football season was among the most hyped storylines of the year; however, his stint at Colorado hasn’t gone according to plan.
While Sanders’ team did finish the 2024 season with an overall record of 9-4, they won just three games last year.
Deion Sanders Opens Up About Dealing with Hate from a Young Age
During a conversation with Phillip Dukes on the “Dukesthescoop” YouTube channel, Coach Prime spoke about how he has dealt with hate and ignorance from a young age.
Talking about his early days as an athlete while he was playing basketball, football, and baseball, Sanders weighed in on when he realized that what he was doing was bigger than him and the opposition he faced.
“I always dealt with hate and ignorance and adolescence, even from my own community, because I told you earlier, I played on the other side of town too,” Sanders said. “So, I played against people who lived in my neighborhood when I went on the other side of town to play football, you know, ’cause this gentleman, Dave Cable, who I love to this day, has passed away, but his wife, Helen, is still with us.
“They took me over on the other side of town. He came and knocked on my door, saw me play in the city league, and took me to the other side of town.”
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Coach Prime is no stranger to criticism. He recently received backlash for visiting his son, Shedeur Sanders, at the Cleveland Browns training camp, with many fans and analysts questioning if he was a distraction or undermining head coach Todd Monken.
However, amid the backlash, Monken raved about having Deion at the facility.
“I mean, that was Deion Sanders, you kidding me? Forget that it’s Shedeur’s dad, I mean, first of all, he did an unbelievable job with Shedeur. Great kid and obviously an elite football player,” Monken said. “Hell, baseball player. And then as a coach, I mean, wow. Everything that he has achieved. That was awesome.
“We just started telling stories, and we really didn’t get to almost any football,” he added. “We got into NIL and Jackson State and Colorado, and how we almost drafted him [Shedeur] in Baltimore, that crazy scenario, and what a great job Shedeur’s done since I’ve been here in terms of his development. It was good. It was part-coach, part-father, which is what it should be.”
Shedeur is currently competing with veteran Deshaun Watson for Cleveland’s starting quarterback job in the 2026 NFL season.
