Whether you are a fan of the NFL, college football, or simply just a user of the internet, you have definitely heard the name of Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders over the past few months more than any other period of time since his retirement as a player. Even his parking tickets are making the news! Though many of these mentions are positive, including recent positive remarks from Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, some are heavily critical. To those critics, former NFL quarterback and Heisman winner Robert Griffin III has some choice words.

“Deion Sanders is a nightmare for the football establishment,” Griffin said of the Colorado football coach. “This man represents everything they don't want to go up against.” Who is ‘they', though?

Griffin answered that question quickly, citing that the “they” he is referring to is Sanders' opposing coaches and the media. It is no secret that Coach Prime is not the prototypical football coach and, as a result, draws plenty of criticism. In fact, Sanders has acknowledged as much. He is simply not someone who follows the traditional mold that many coaches seen in the football world today portray.

Deion Sanders, as described by Griffin, is vocal and confident and brings with him a certain mindset that goes against what many believe to be the cornerstone of effective coaching. What is that mindset exactly?

The mindset that he wants his players to have fun.

According to Robert Griffin III, Sanders is uninterested in the semantics of NIL deals. He chooses, instead to focus both his and his players' energy and effort towards the NFL. He accomplishes this through a style of empowerment that goes directly against the traditional school of thought that many coaches employ.

Griffin believes that this contemporary style of coaching, accentuated by Sanders' signature eccentrics, draws criticism not due to its merits but rather because it threatens long-established norms.

Whether or not others believe in Sanders' methods, or his ability to coach based on his personality, it seems that at least one former player–someone who can be considered an authority on the subject of effective coaching–is all for it.