After reaching a bowl game for the first time since 2016 last season, Colorado coach Deion Sanders is facing a much tougher reality in 2025. The Buffaloes were booed by their own fans at Folsom Field during a 52-17 blowout loss to the Arizona Wildcats in Week 10, marking their second straight drubbing after a 53-7 loss to the No. 17 Utah Utes in Week 9.
Now, with a 3-6 record and only three games left, the team that looked reborn under Coach Prime is suddenly in danger of missing out on bowl eligibility entirely.
Why Is a Former NFL Star Defending Deion Sanders?
On the field, the team’s struggles are clear. Sanders has cycled through quarterbacks this season, with none of the options successfully filling the shoes of his son, Shedeur Sanders, who departed for the NFL. With Heisman-winning cornerback Travis Hunter also gone to the pros, both the offense and defense have looked lost at times. However, some believe the criticism of Coach Prime overlooks a crucial aspect of the story.
During Monday’s segment of the “Outta Pocket” podcast, former NFL star Robert Griffin III called out the media for not giving Sanders grace, especially considering the coach’s significant health issues.
“When a coach has health complications, they are given grace by the media and the public because they are understanding of what they are fighting through,” Griffin said. “Deion Sanders, he’s not been afforded that same empathy at Colorado this year.”
Griffin continued, highlighting the severity of the coach’s situation. “Despite being diagnosed with cancer, having his bladder removed and having a procedure in the middle of the season to alleviate blood clots, the teardowns of the man and his program have been relentless. The X’s and the O’s have to improve, but we can’t forget the human element of what has happened in Deion Sanders’ life this year.”
Before the season started, Sanders was diagnosed with bladder cancer and underwent surgery to have his bladder removed and reconstructed with a piece of his small intestine. The health battles didn’t stop there. On October 7, the Buffs coach had another surgery to remove blood clots from his left leg, the same leg that had two toes amputated in 2021. Despite the procedure, Coach Prime was back on the sideline just four days later for his team’s victory over the Iowa State Cyclones.
MORE: Deion Sanders’ Colorado Fate Unraveling Quickly As Julian Lewis Redshirt Decision Looms
In his show on Monday, Griffin called for Colorado to stick with their coach, who is just one year removed from a 9-4 record, in which the Buffs narrowly missed the Big 12 championship game in their first season back in the conference.
“With his Son’s not playing at Colorado, Coach Prime could have easily said, I’m done. I’ve had some health issues, Shedeur is in a bad situation in Cleveland, Shilo isn’t on an NFL roster and this just isn’t worth it anymore,” Griffin said. “But he didn’t because he made a commitment to every kid in his program and their parents that he was dedicated to building them into a complete man on and off the field. So at 3-6. Colorado, now is not the time to give up on Coach Prime. Now is the time to stand tall with him.”
Remarkably, despite his health issues that led to his 16th surgery in October, Sanders has not missed a single game during his two-and-a-half-year tenure as the Buffaloes’ coach.