Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Former Steelers Player Blasts Deion Sanders Over Jersey Retirement

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Noah Strackbein | Last updated Apr 21, 2025 7:15 AM ET

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Chad Brown didn't hold back about his thoughts on the University of Colorado honoring quarterback Shedeur Sanders and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter this offseason.

The two players, who spent two seasons at Colorado, both had their jerseys retired after their departure. Last season, the team went 9-4 and the year before that, they went 4-8.

Brown wasn't happy about the situation and made it known on Twitter. The former defender went off about the success of the teams Colorado had in the 1990s.

"If the players from the National Champ team have not received such an honor, by default, this action dismisses, diminishes & for a new generation of CU fans erases their greatness. I would never minimize the impact of #2 or #12, they are amazing players. But this timing is poor," Brown wrote.

If the players from the National Champ team have not received such an honor, by default, this action dismisses, diminishes & for a new generation of CU fans erases their greatness. I would never minimize the impact of #2 or #12, they are amazing players. But this timing is poor. https://t.co/jprVdO0lhZ
— Chad Brown (@chadbrown94) April 15, 2025

Brown made sure to show respect to both Sanders and Hunter, but made it known that the move was tacky, and that it took away from some of the real legacy the program has behind it.

"Hard to understand how this move isn’t seen as a slight to the players who brought a National Championship to CU. No pushback on #2 and #12 and their greatness. But for them to leapfrog so many other deserving candidates without a discussion or a waiting period blows my mind," Brown wrote.

It’s not silly. Legacy matters. The past matters. Never want to take away from anything #2 or #12 have done. Amazing players. But to act as if CU FB was invented 3 years ago ignores the greatness in the past & the players that produced that greatness. Love seeing the Buffs win."

Brown wasn't the only person who called out Sanders' decision online. Many showed their distaste in the decision, accusing the head coach of favoring his son and the two players who played under him while ignoring some of the program's rich history. Which includes a former Steelers QB.

"Kordell Stewart doesn’t have his number retired. He won two bowl games and finished in the top 10 twice. But he wasn’t the coach’s son. Colorado is an unserious program," Brian Drake of Fantasy Points shared on X.

Sanders made his thoughts clear, saying in a press conference, "If his last name weren’t Sanders, we wouldn’t have this discussion." Maybe that's true, but the former Steelers defender isn't happy about it.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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