On Saturday night, the worst-kept sports news of the week became official when Colorado announced that Deion Sanders was their new head football coach.
It immediately became the most triggering sports moment since LeBron’s decision in 2010.
The wave of emotions ranged from happiness, appreciation and sadness to disappointment, anger and contempt.
Why Colorado? They haven’t been relevant for decades.
Who is he going to get to come out to Boulder?
How could he leave Jackson St.?
He’s a sellout.
It became so intense that HBCU-related conversations grabbed three of the four top trending spots on Twitter.
Yet Sanders’ move was in no way a surprise.
He made it clear in an interview with “60 Minutes” in October that he would evaluate offers from P5 schools if it made sense for him and his coaching staff.
“What happens when a Power Five school says, ‘Give us a number. We’ll make it work.’ asked host Bill Owens.
“I’m going to have to entertain it,” replied Sanders. “Yes, I’m going to have to entertain it. Straight up. I would be a fool not to.”
That interview laid the groundwork for his move west less than two months later.
At that moment, despite all that accomplished for the program, some began to question his motives, preachings and loyalty to the university and HBCUs since arriving in Jackson two years ago.
The Arrival of Coach Prime
When Sanders arrived, he facilitated change immediately.
He transitioned the school from Nike to Under Armour.
He reached out to his network to get the team a new practice field as the old one would flood when it rained, forcing the team to practice at a high school. Then he got a new locker room built for the players.
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