Deion Sanders Begins Second Season at Colorado with Odd Press Conference

Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders began his second season at Colorado with a spirited press conference on Friday, which coincided with his 57th birthday and his first day as a grandfather.

Wearing his signature sunglasses and a Buffaloes baseball cap, Sanders opened the session by expressing gratitude to someone who left a card and several packages of fried pastries at the podium. “Trying to keep my six-pack, I can’t eat these Honey Buns,” he joked, marking the lightest moment of the 30-minute news conference. He concluded by expressing affection for “85% of you.”

While Sanders did not explicitly address the sources of his frustration, there have been reports from media outlets outside of Colorado that have cast his program in an unfavorable light during the offseason.

These tense exchanges were a focal point of the session, which was part of Colorado’s annual fall sports media day, usually a time of optimism and anticipation.

Sanders shared that he is feeling physically well after facing health challenges last year and is optimistic about his team’s prospects as they enter Year 2 under his leadership. The Buffaloes are returning to the Big 12 following the Pac-12’s dissolution. Sanders has made significant changes to the roster, especially in the offensive and defensive lines, after a 4-8 record in his first season at Boulder.

However, he became visibly irritated when questioned about the improvements to the offensive line that will protect his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who was sacked 52 times last season.

“What does ‘bolstered’ mean?” Sanders interjected, suggesting that “improved” would be a more appropriate term. “I’ve never used ‘bolstered’ in a sentence. … Let’s go with ‘improved.’ We improved our offensive line.”

When asked how he might expedite the development of the new offensive line’s chemistry ahead of their August 29 opener against North Dakota State, Sanders responded, “What is chemistry?”

He cut off another question before it was even asked, directed at him by a CBS affiliate in Denver. While Sanders did not elaborate on his issue with the national network, it is closely associated with 247Sports, which this summer reported on a legal judgment against his son, Shilo Sanders, a safety on the team, and his subsequent bankruptcy filing.

Sanders informed the journalist that while it wasn’t personal, he wouldn’t permit any questions from him. He similarly dismissed another question while engaging in a verbal exchange with a reporter from the Denver Post, whom he accused of consistently targeting his program.

The reporter eventually suggested they resolve any disagreements privately. Sanders agreed but stated that he would not entertain any football questions from him until they had that discussion. “I have a question over here,” said Shilo Sanders, taking the microphone as he waited his turn at the podium. “Since it’s your birthday, do you have any birthday plans?”

Sanders responded that his children probably hadn’t gotten him anything, as usual.

Shilo then asked about Sanders’ reaction to becoming a grandfather, as his daughter Deiondra Sanders gave birth to a boy earlier that day.

“That’s why I don’t have time for this foolishness,” Sanders remarked. “That’s how good God is, that on my birthday, my daughter would have her first child, making me a grandfather for the first time on my birthday.”

His sons then joined him at the microphone and were asked about becoming uncles. “It’s real exciting. My sister, I just got the text,” Shedeur Sanders began before being interrupted by his older brother, Deion Sanders Jr., who was recording the news conference and reminded him that their sister didn’t want them discussing it.

Shedeur quickly changed course, saying, “Oh, well, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Despite Deion Jr.’s warning, Shilo Sanders continued, saying, “He’s nice. He’s healthy,” referring to his nephew. “I’ve seen him on FaceTime. So, I’m proud of her.”

“He just said don’t say anything,” Shedeur cautioned.

“Well, we’ve got some media control over here,” Shilo replied with a shrug. “All the brothers.”

All-American Travis Hunter was also scheduled to speak but opted not to attend.

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Eric Boggs

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