Like him or not, Sanders gets things done his way
Colorado coach Deion Sanders took center stage Wednesday to field questions during Big 12 media days.
PHOTO COURTESY: Robert Antoine Noble
By W.G. RAMIREZ
LAS VEGAS -- His end is definitely not near, and he's certainly not facing the final curtain.
But make no mistake, Colorado football coach Deion Sanders is doing things his way. Always has.
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He’s lived a life that's full, traveled each and every highway, and during his press conference at Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday, he stated his case of which he's certain.
Okay, I know, enough with the lyrics from the 1969 hit "My Way.”
I’ll get back to the song in a minute. For now, you get the point.
Little did I think neither my question that kicked off Sanders’ press conference, nor his answer, would make it to Primetime, and then some, going as viral as they did.
Furthermore, I certainly didn't understand so much vitriol that followed, comment after comment on the likes of ESPN and CBS Sports' social media posts.
Writing for the Associated Press both days, my assignment on Wednesday was the Sanders crew: Deion and sons Shedeur and Shilo, And knowing the grandiloquence the stars of Boulder, Colorado walk and talk with, I knew what I wanted to ask, I knew I wanted to get some time with the younger Sanders before their press availabilities, and I thought I had appropriate inquiries.
My initial question to Deion Sanders: "With what you've brought to the programs, in the historic black colleges and to Colorado, do you feel an obligation with whom you are to perform at a higher level, or coach at a higher level?"
To which the College and Pro Football Hall of Famer answered candidly, and truthfully, for that matter, when you consider the scrutiny he's caught since entering the coaching spectrum.
"I'm judged on a different scale," Sanders said. "My wins are totally different than your wins. Your wins, you just judgin' football, that's why I start out and give you education and academics and so forth. I have to give you those things so you understand there's a greater scope."
It was the start of his comment that drew ire from hundreds of thousands of social media trolls, who lamented his answer, believing he was playing the victim's role when in all honesty he wasn't telling a lie.
"I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway.
And more, much more than this I did it my way."
Imagine having to prove his knowledge and worth in a sport he's frequently placed among the top 15 all-time greatest NFL players, not to mention having his name included when discussing some of the greatest athletes of all time, regardless of sport.
After spending nine years as either a high school head coach or offensive coordinator, I remember when he took over at Jackson State and everyone thought it was a novelty. Who in the heck was Sanders to believe he should be coaching college football, right? And with Jackson State, so many thought the school’s lone objective was to steal the spotlight.
But let’s be real here for a moment, it’s not as if Sanders was headed to a Football Bowl Subdivision powerhouse, for a highly sought-after job. That’s not a knock on Jackson State, but let’s not pretend Sanders was bringing his flash and pizazz to a highly publicized program. He was breaking into the business, if you will, at a Football Championship Subdivision school, hoping to be a leader of young men while teaching the game of football. If anything, publicity followed the flamboyant personality, with the national spotlight frequently turning to historically Black colleges now that Primetime was there.
God forbid we see that, right?
Nonetheless, in 2021 he won the Eddie Robinson Award, honoring college football's top head coach in the FCS. Off the field, his presence brought a spotlight and attention to historic black colleges and helped the entire Southwestern Athletic Conference enhance recruiting and revenue.
After turning in a 27-6 record in three seasons at Jackson State - including a pair of 8-0 SWAC campaigns - Sanders was hired by Colorado.
For most, his inaugural season was a bust.
Fact is, after going 1–11 in 2022, Colorado won its first three games under Sanders in 2023 before finishing 4-8. It may not have been what Buffaloes fans expected, but it was an improvement, right?
"My wins are different," Sanders continued. "We have to win in every area. That's the way we're judged. I'm cool with that. Because we come at it a little different. So the expectation is greater. But it's not just football. It's been like that all my life."
"Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew, when I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all, and I stood tall. And did it my way."
Whether or not he's bitten off more than he can chew at the FBS level remains to be seen. He’s had one season, and as stated, the Buffaloes did improve from the year before he arrived. Now, with the Buffaloes in the expanded 16-team Big 12, it still remains to be seen if he's bitten off more than he can chew.
My guess is he didn't.
But I do know what Sanders meant when explaining he needed winning in every area. It's true, that he can't turn in a winning season on the field and have his players fail in the classroom. And, vice versa.
Colorado Buffaloes graduate safety Shilo Sanders shared some time with WGRamirez.com during Big 12 media days on Wednesday.
PHOTO COURTESY: Lucas Peltier
Which is why he felt compelled to tout the program's GPA, and the 16 coaches and staff members who have NFL experience and are a part of Colorado's program, or the 20% increase in student applications to Colorado, and then there's the economic impact on the entire university.
Sure enough, one day after he comingled his talks of wins and losses with grade point averages, I saw articles from those who decided to dig up Jackson State football’s academic records under Sanders.
He understands what people expect of him, and because of those demands, he has a right to remind people when he delivers.
"I've always had a greater expectation for myself," Sanders said. "So, the expectation you have for me would never outweigh the expectation I have for myself."
And when I asked his sons virtually the same question, and if it trickled down from their father to them, not to mention a couple of other questions, neither shied away from anything. If anything they embraced who they were, what they've dealt with their entire lives, and stood eye-to-eye with every reporter and answered every question.
"It's been that since day one," Shedeur Sanders said. "I remember first media day when I was in HBCU, I said we won't lose a game. I'm undefeated in the SWAC, so I already know what the expectation comes with.
"I know we're everybody's Super Bowl. I always stay level headed, stay grounded, because I would never want to be that guy look back and not being able to take advantage of the moment that we have right now."
And kudos to Shilo Sanders, when it came time to answer a question about a bankruptcy case he filed last October because he faces a nearly $11.9 million judgment stemming from an alleged assault against a Dallas school security guard who was trying to confiscate his phone in 2015, he shrugged off his older brother, Deion Jr., who asked him if he okay with answering the question, and gave more than he had to considering he could’ve given me a garden variety no comment response.
"Yeah, like, honestly, that kind of stuff ... you're not gonna win a court case on social media," Shilo Sanders said. "And the end of the day everybody is gonna know the truth about everything so there's no point just going out of my way to just do that. So, everything's good."
"The record shows, I took the blows, and did it my way."
Look, you can knock the Sanders troupe all you want, you can dislike the braggadocio that comes with them, you can question every move they make - but the fact is they’re good for college football.
And for them, nothing you throw their way is anything new. The elder statesman in the group has proven himself every step of the way, and his sons have bore witness to their father doing things in Primetime fashion, whether anyone likes it or not.
