Viral Deion Sanders video reveals inconvenient truths
Deion Sanders made a quick impression as head coach at Colorado during his first address to the team.
"I'm bringing my luggage with me. And its Louis [Vuitton]," said Sanders with his signature flair. He wasn't actually talking about his checked bags at the airport, but the fact that he's got upgrades on the way, and Colorado players should plan accordingly.
His blunt speech rubbed some the wrong way.
Jeff Pearlman, author of "Bo Jackson: The Last Folk Hero," said the speech by Sanders "is everything that grosses me out about big-time college sports." A big aspect of college coaching is developing players to become the best versions of themselves. Sanders telling players they may want to enter their names into the transfer portal could be viewed as being too dismissive.
Others showed more support for the sentiment.
Sanders' point appears to be that any player satisfied with the team's 1-11 record in 2022 shouldn't let the door hit them on the way out. While an abrasive tactic, it shows Colorado is beginning to operate with the same kind of logic as every top team in the transfer portal and NIL era.
A tweet Sanders sent last month should have left no one surprised by his transparent comments in front of his new team.
The athletic department didn't bring Sanders to Boulder to be a cheerleader. He was hired to transform a moribund program. Sanders has always been brash, and it's worked out well for him so far. He was honest in both his assessment of the current roster and college football's evolving landscape. The truth isn't always convenient.
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