Few athletes have gotten more out of their name, symbol and likeness than Deion Sanders, but Colorado’s head coach doesn’t want today’s stars to lean too heavily on NIL’s efforts.
“I don’t need you to put the bag in front of the game, because if you play, the bag will come,” Sanders told reporters on Big 12 Media Day.
The Hall of Fame cornerback has been consistent when it comes to his overall ideals toward NIL.
As the 2023 season progressed, it became clear that Colorado had stepped up after Sanders and his team reshuffled the roster, but reinforcements were needed for 2024. However, he made it clear that the program is “not an ATM” in terms of attracting players through NIL Deals.
“If you come to Colorado to play football for me and the Colorado Buffaloes, it’s because you need to play football and get a glorious education,” he said last November. . . . You don’t come here to get rich unless you come here with the goal of going to the NFL and getting your degree. “
Sanders expressed a similar sentiment when recounting an interaction with a potential recruit’s circle of relatives. During his appearance on the All The Smoke podcast in April, he said that the player’s mother brought up the subject of NIL, which led to him distancing himself. of the conversation.
“It’s not my department. I’m talking about the NFL,” he told the mother. “You can talk about the Nile and other things because when you start talking to me about money, I get annoyed by your dwarf. I need to look at him as a dog that needs to move to the NFL, not the NIL. “
Sanders has deftly figured out how to market himself. He had a family in the state of Florida before setting foot in the NFL.
But the 56-year-old is much more than just an advertising powerhouse. He was a two-time unanimous All-American at Florida State and continued to be widely regarded as one of the most productive political corners of all time in the pros. Sanders had the skill and motivation to maintain his “Prime Time” nickname.