Subscribe
Follow Us
Big 12 media days are taking place this week, and on Wednesday, Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders took the podium. Sanders is one of the most popular figures in college football today, and his Buffaloes are one of the most talked about teams. Unfortunately, they aren't popular because of winning football games. That is something that Sanders is hoping to change this year now that his team has made the move to the Big 12.
Deion Sanders had a lot to talk about on Wednesday. There was obviously a lot to discuss about the 2024 Colorado football team, but Sanders also touched on a more serious note: his attempted suicide.
Back in 1997, Sanders attempted suicide. It still affects him every day.
“It impacts my life tremendously,” Sanders said on Wednesday, according to an article from Action Network. “I don’t take any day for granted. I don’t take anything for granted. I’m extremely blessed tremendously, being guided and led by the Lord. Not by me, not by my might, but by the Lord.”
Sanders now has high expectations for every single aspect of his program. He wants his time to be successful on and off the field, and he feels like his team is judged differently than others.
“I’m judged on a different scale,” Sanders said. “My wins are totally different than your wins. Your wins, you just judge football. That's why I start out giving you education and academics and so forth. I have to give you those things, so you understand there's a greater scope. I can't win nine games and our GPA suffers. Our GPA can't be high and we lose another eight games. My wins are different. 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. I've always had a greater expectation for myself. The expectation you have for me would never outweigh the expectation I have for myself.”
While the story of his suicide is obviously a personal one, but he doesn't hide it from his Colorado team. Sanders noted that he talks to his team about everything.
“I talk to my team about everything,” Sanders said. “Everything. We talk about everything. I don't have to just go out and just give my team this message like — it’s whatever I'm feeling that day or whatever is in my spirit, I give it to my team. I’m talking to 100 different people, so I’m not seeing instant reactions because sometimes they engulf it in different ways. But you can't be dumb enough and stupid enough to think that out of 120-some guys, that no one’s feeling that way. Somebody's always going through that. Could be a young man, it could be coaches, it could be staffers. It could be a multitude of things.”
Sanders is fortunate to have survived his attempt, but he doesn't think he is lucky.
“I'm never lucky,” Sanders said. “God just allows me to go through things so I could see his face a little more clearer. I never doubted Him. I’ve never not trusted Him. I'll always trust Him. I’ve appreciated stuff a lot more.”
Deion Sanders understands that he has critics
Even though the Colorado football hasn't found success under Deion Sanders, the program still has just as much attention as any program in the country. Some people are rooting for Sanders and the Buffaloes. Others aren't. Sanders isn't very concerned with what other people think.
“So really, I don't care how you see me,” Sanders said. “It’s never going to be enough. Nothing I do is ever going to be enough. I’m cool with that. I understand that that is life and that’s how life is going to be. But I plan on being a tremendous blessing to as many people I can bless, especially those 120 young men that put on this CU helmet and go out and play for our school and our program.”
Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son, was asked about the perception of his dad. He thinks that people don't understand him because they haven't been in his position.
“I don’t know,” Shedeur Sanders said. “People know everything, but they chose to believe what they want to. [What he says isn't] always going to hit home. You can tell somebody something, but you’re not going to be able to understand that unless you’re in his position or have had a lot of success.”
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark already feels the buzz
The Colorado football team hasn't played in a Big 12 game yet, but commissioner Brett Yormark is already seeing the impact that Deion Sanders have in terms of publicity. People want to know what is going on with Sanders and the Buffaloes.
“I love his energy and his passion,” Yormark said. “He’s a football legend, and let’s face it — there’s a big audience that follows him that's going to benefit the Big 12 and all our schools. I would look at him as someone like me. We’re both a little bit disruptive in a positive way, and we like to break boundaries in a positive way. We like to stir the pot a little bit, and that’s a little healthy, and I think college football needs it.”
This season is going to be a big one for Sanders and Colorado football. It will be interesting to see if the Buffaloes can find success in the Big 12.
