In bolting to Colorado, Deion Sanders hoodwinked those who believed he was ‘our coach’ | Opinion
Deion Sanders hand out the same one-liners Sunday that he once gave in Mississippi.
We all heard them.
About Sanders being called by faith to go to Colorado. About Sanders having a new mission in front of him. About him bringing his quarterbacking son with him.
But here’s the problem: For three seasons, since bringing his Prime Time persona to Mississippi’s capital city in 2020, Sanders hasn’t just been the Tigers’ coach. He’s been our coach in the Black community. The coach who has shone more light on the triumphs and struggles at Historically Black Colleges and Universities than any coach in decades.
I don’t blame JSU fans for feeling hoodwinked after living through Sanders’ own personal Truman Show, making the rules as he went along. When he announced he was leaving Jackson State for Colorado on Saturday, after leading the Tigers to their second straight SWAC Championship, Sanders was no longer our coach.
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He became just another coach.
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No longer our coach
By going to Colorado, Sanders lost his chance to provoke change where it is needed most: At grassroots levels in Black communities across America, such as here in Jackson, where the murder rate is climbing, the city’s infrastructure is failing and the need for impact is high.
Sanders, with seemingly endless resources — and infinite reach on social media — could have become a modern-day Eddie Robinson, the legendary Grambling coach whose name still means something in the Black community, where staying power too often is too rare.