Deion Sanders

On Wednesday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban told a Birmingham crowd that "Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," ostensibly speaking about the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2022, Travis Hunter. 

On Friday, Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders—who already responded to those remarks in a series of tweets—further commented on the situation. 

"The thing that stung was you feel like there's no connectivity for the culture and for our people that the only way we could do that is we paying,” he said on I Am Athlete Tonight (h/t Mike Rodak of AL.com). 

Sanders continued:

So that's how you feel? So there's no way that I could secure a Power 5-caliber player? ... Like, he chose something less to participate in than what they could offer, and he chose less. Then I started thinking—14 years in the NFL at a certain level don't qualify me? So being in the Hall of Fame don't qualify? So being a father of five—a real there father of five—don't qualify me?

So being an HBCU football coach and winning don't qualify me? Just being a real person and there for my friends, family members, loved ones and whoever else don’t qualify me? I've coached in the NFL, the Under Armour All-American game for I think 14 years straight. Some of the best players in the nation, so that don't qualify me? I've coached high school football for a plethora of years and won four straight state championships and that don't qualify me?

I'm disqualified from a guy that looks like me, talks like me, walks like me and kind of wants to be like me? That's a problem for me.

Saban—who also went after Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M, saying the Aggies "bought every player on their team"—apologized for his remarks and said he reached out to Sanders, though he didn't hear back from him. 

Sanders confirmed on I Am Athlete Tonight that Saban reached out to his people, but told Jean-Jacques Taylor of Andscape on Thursday that he preferred to have a public discussion with the Alabama head coach. 

"We need to talk publicly—not privately. What you said was public. That doesn't require a conversation. Let's talk publicly and let everybody hear the conversation," he said. "You can't do that publicly and call privately."

But Sanders added that he still has a great deal of respect for Saban and described him as the "magna cum laude of college football," suggesting that the Alabama head coach's comments were more a message to his program's donors than anything else.

"Coach Saban wasn't talking to me. Coach Saban wasn't talking to Jimbo Fisher. He was talking to his boosters," he said. "He was talking to his alumni. He was talking to his givers. He was trying to get money. That was what he was doing. He was just using us to get to where he was trying to get to."

Saban, in his apology remarks, said he didn't have issue with name, likeness and image rights for college athletes, but more so what he described as collectives that are funneling money directly to players. 

"I think collectives are the issue," he said. I think one of the solutions would be if you have people that are representatives of your school that give money to a collective, and then the collective turns around and gives it to players on the team... then that collective should become a representative of the institution. And they should not be able to give money to the player, just like an alumnus can't give money to a player."

Jackson State head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has responded to Alabama head coach Nick Saban saying that the school paid Travis Hunter, the No. 1-ranked recruit in the 2022 class, $1 million for him to play for the Tigers.

Sanders told Jean-Jacques Taylor of Andscape:

“I haven’t talked to Coach Saban. I’m sure he’s tried to call. We need to talk publicly — not privately. What you said was public. That doesn’t require a conversation. Let’s talk publicly and let everybody hear the conversation. You can’t do that publicly and call privately. No, no, no. I still love him. I admire him. I respect him. He’s the magna cum laude of college football and that’s what it’s going to be because he’s earned that.

Sanders' comments come after Hunter himself denied being paid $1 million to play for Jackson State in a social media post on Thursday morning. 

I got A mil?😂But my mom still stay in a 3 bed room house with five kids 🤣

— Travis Hunter (@TravisHunterJr) May 19, 2022

Sanders also tweeted that Saban's comments weren't true. 

You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow. I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB ! We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

I don’t even make a million! Lolololol 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/wagxbCJoWs

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

Saban turned heads Wednesday night after saying Texas A&M, which had the top-ranked recruiting class last year, "bought every player on their team" while speaking about how NIL is impacting the college football landscape. 

The 70-year-old also made a comment about the Tigers landing Hunter, who was originally committed to Florida State before flipping his commitment to Jackson State in December 2021. 

"Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," Saban said Wednesday, per Brett Greenberg of the Tuscaloosa News. "It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

There were rumors circulating at the time Hunter committed to Jackson State that Barstool Sports offered him $1 million to play for the Tigers, per Sports Illustrated's Dan Lyons. The speculation arose because Barstool Sports is associated with Sanders through his 21st and Prime podcast.

Sanders denied the rumor during an appearance on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill and Max (h/t TMZ Sports) in December, saying that they didn't pay Hunter to play for Jackson State. 

"We didn't pay," Sanders said. "We ain't got no money! We ain't got no money! A million and a half? I heard a million and a half. And I heard Dave Portnoy over at Barstool—that's the biggest lie I've ever heard."

It's possible Saban only made his comments because a number of schools, such as Texas A&M, are landing top-ranked recruits due to NIL deals, and the changing landscape could make it more difficult for Alabama to land the best players in the country. 

Alabama head coach Nick Saban was the first one to apologize in what has already shaped up to be an explosive back-and-forth with Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher and Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders.

"I should have never really singled anybody out," Saban said during an appearance on ESPNU Radio (h/t Mike Rodak of AL.com). "That was a mistake and I really apologize for that part of it."

He continued and said, "I really didn't mean to single anybody out. I apologize for that. But it’s the whole system—is this a sustainable system and is this good for college football?"

Saban revealed he reached out to Fisher—who was on his staff at LSU—and Sanders but "never got a response. I feel bad about it."

He then expressed his concern with the current climate of name, image and likeness opportunities in college sports, adding he didn't insinuate Texas A&M or Jackson State were doing anything illegal but that "collectives are the issue."

Earlier this month, the NCAA released guidelines regarding booster-led collectives to reiterate that boosters cannot be involved in recruiting. In theory, there can be retroactive punishments for schools if they violated the bylaws, but potential antitrust lawsuits and a focus on the future could prevent that from happening.

While Saban was apologetic Thursday, he made headlines Wednesday when he told reporters, "A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn't buy one player. But I don't know if we're going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it."

He also said, "Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school. It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

While the Alabama coach didn't single out the player, cornerback Travis Hunter was a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and responded to the comments:         

I got A mil?😂But my mom still stay in a 3 bed room house with five kids 🤣

— Travis Hunter (@TravisHunterJr) May 19, 2022

So did his coach:

You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow. I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB ! We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

I don’t even make a million! Lolololol 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/wagxbCJoWs

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

They weren't the only ones who publicly criticized Saban in the aftermath of Wednesday's comments.

Fisher told reporters the suggestions were "despicable. We're taking shots at 17-year-old kids. We never bought anyone. When [Saban] doesn't get his way or things don't go his way. Go dig into [Saban's past]. It's despicable. It's personal to us. And I know the guy. Really well."

He also called Saban a "narcissist" and said, "Some people think they're God. Go dig into how God did his deal. You may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don't want to know. We build him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past."       

JIMBO FISHER OFFFF THE TOP ROPE pic.twitter.com/yVN6HobqkQ

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 19, 2022

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey issued public reprimands for both Saban and Fisher and said, "public criticism of any kind does not resolve issues and creates a distraction from seeking solutions for the issues facing college athletics today."

All of this comes after Texas A&M defeated Alabama last season and landed the No. 1 overall recruiting class of 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The Oct. 8 matchup between the Crimson Tide and Aggies will surely be one of the most anticipated games of the season.       

Jackson State cornerback Travis Hunter responded to an apparent allegation from Alabama head coach Nick Saban about the name, image and likeness (NIL) deals he received to choose the FCS program.

I got A mil?😂But my mom still stay in a 3 bed room house with five kids 🤣

— Travis Hunter (@TravisHunterJr) May 19, 2022

Saban discussed the direction of college sports in the NIL era on Wednesday. He made headlines by saying Texas A&M "bought every player on their team," but also made a remark about Jackson State, per Brett Greenberg of the Tuscaloosa News.

"Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," Saban said. "It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

He didn't mention any player by name.

Tigers head coach Deion Sanders described Saban's comment as a "lie":

You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow. I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB ! We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

He later joked about his own salary:

I don’t even make a million! Lolololol 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/wagxbCJoWs

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

In December, Dan Lyons of Sports Illustrated noted there was unconfirmed speculation Barstool Sports, which holds an association with Sanders via his 21st and Prime podcast, offered Hunter over $1 million on an NIL deal.

Khari Thompson of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported no such agreement was in place between Hunter and Barstool, and Sanders also denied the claim at the time.

"We didn't pay," Sanders said on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill and Max (via TMZ Sports). "We ain't got no money! We ain't got no money! A million and a half? I heard a million and a half. And I heard Dave Portnoy over at Barstool—that's the biggest lie I've ever heard."

Hunter was the top-ranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting class based on 247Sports' composite rankings.

The defensive back, who was also a standout wide receiver at Collins Hill High School in Georgia, committed to Florida State in March 2020. He flipped his commitment to Jackson State in December and joined the program for spring ball ahead of the 2022 season.

At the Tigers' spring game in April, Hunter explained his choice of Sanders' program.

"They were just straight with me," he said. "They didn't play no games, they came right at me."

Jackson State has enjoyed a resurgence under Sanders, a former two-sport star in the NFL and MLB. He's guided the program to a 15-5 record across his first two seasons and has attracted high-end recruits like Hunter who've typically chosen Power Five schools.

Jackson State football head coach Deion Sanders heard the accusations from Alabama head coach Nick Saban on Wednesday, and he's firing back.

Saban alleged that Jackson State paid a player $1 million to commit to the program, and Sanders dismissed the notion as untrue. He also revealed that the player Saban was referring to was cornerback Travis Hunter Jr., who is ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the 2022 class by 247Sports' composite.

You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow. I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB ! We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 19, 2022

"Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school," Saban said. "It was in the paper. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

It's not the first time that Sanders has faced allegations of using a monetary incentive to land the top player in the country. Upon Hunter's commitment to Jackson State, it was rumored that he had a $1 million deal with Barstool Sports. Sanders denied those rumors and attributed them to jealousy.

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard," Sanders said on a TV appearance with ESPN. "You know what that is? That means we kicked you butt, we took what was ours, and now you've got to make up an excuse why."

Saban has been outspoken about his concerns surrounding NIL deals for collegiate athletes. He revealed that 25 Alabama players combined to make a total of $3 million last season, but he still expressed apprehension with the model going forward.

"The issue and the problem with name, image and likeness, is coaches trying to create an advantage for themselves by going out and saying, 'Ok, how can we use this to our advantage?'" Saban said, going on to insinuate that a coach can be involved in paying recruits under the table.

Hunter's only known NIL deal is with a Black-owned, Mississippi-based coffee company called J5 Caffe.

Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders has an issue with the way college football is trending in the new name, image and likeness era.

"When you start paying athletes like they're professionals, you get athletes acting like they're professionals," Sanders said in a video he directed at the NCAA and posted on Twitter. "And you don't have staffs large enough and equipped enough to handle a young man with money. Let me go deeper. Handle a young man that's making more money than some of the coaches on staff."

⁦@NCAA⁩ YOU HAVE A PROBLEM! I’m trying to help before it blows up in your face. Money Makes You More Of Who You Really Are. Now think about that for a minute. God bless u all. #CoachPrime pic.twitter.com/ZbncNK2PDt

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 11, 2022

He also said smaller programs cannot compete with larger ones when it comes to paying athletes and suggested schools should be allowed to hire more coaches.

"I suggest to you to allow college teams to hire more qualified men," he said. "Qualified. That can handle these young men that's getting this money."

Sanders is not the first coach to raise concerns after the NCAA instituted an interim policy that went into effect on July 1 and allowed athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports shared concerns from a number of coaches and athletic directors, many of whom were in favor of student-athletes having the opportunity to get paid but saw potential issues with boosters, tampering and the amount of money that can be involved.

"Different creates uncertainty, and uncertainty creates doubt," Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self said. "I don't see a lot of positives right now with the [transfer] portal and NIL stuff."

Ohio State football coach Ryan Day said he is "all for players making money off their name, image and likeness" but highlighted "a lot of unrest because we all feel like there's no rules—or the rules that are there are not being enforced."

The NCAA attempted to add more clarity Monday when the Division I Board of Directors released guidelines intended to prevent boosters and booster-led collectives from being involved in recruiting.

While the new guidelines can be retroactive and open up schools to punishments for their actions during the period the interim policy was in place, they are intended to provide more stability in the future.

"The NCAA is reminding people to enforce rules regarding NIL and recruiting, but anything before today likely won't be pursued unless it's really blatant," Chris Vannini of The Athletic wrote.

Despite the guidelines in place, Sanders—who is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion who made $33.6 million in earnings during his NFL career—is worried about student-athletes acting like professionals with the opportunity to make money during their collegiate careers.         

The Sanders family continues to take over Jackson State athletics.

Shelomi Sanders, the daughter of Deion Sanders, announced her commitment to the Jackson State women's basketball team on Instagram. The 5'7" guard is joining a squad that is 14-0 in the SWAC this season and 16-6 overall.

"Proud Father," Deion Sanders wrote in the comments. 

The Pro Football Hall of Famer became the head coach of the Tigers football program in 2020, leading the Mississippi university to an 11-2 record last season. His son, Shilo, is a sophomore cornerback for the team, while Shedeur was named the FCS Freshman of the Year after his performance at quarterback in 2021.

"3 kids on campus! @shilosanders @shedeursanders & now @shelomisanders THIS IS WHAT I CALL CHILD SUPPORT," Deion wrote in an Instagram post after Shelomi's announcement.

The family continues to put the HBCU school in the national spotlight.

Deion Sanders was at risk of losing his leg because of complications from a foot injury that required surgery. 

In the trailer for his Coach Prime documentary series (starts at :07 mark), a person who appears to be a doctor is seen talking to Sanders and telling him that he could lose his leg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaMU0uCos7k

In an Instagram video he posted on Sept. 22, Sanders is shown speaking with his doctor before surgery about the issues going on with his foot related to an injury from his playing days. 

Dr. Jim Hurt said in the video that Sanders has an "old claw toe, and your second toe is dislocated" in one of his feet. He had surgery that day to alleviate the pain. 

Sanders was hospitalized following complications from the procedure. The Pro Football Hall of Famer announced on Nov. 10 that he had been released from the hospital. 

He was back on the sideline for Jackson State, where he has been the head football coach since September 2020, for the rivalry game against Alcorn State on Nov. 20. 

GAME TIME BABY! The Vet is about to be packed with 60k+ for our rivalry game vs Alcorn State @GoJSUTigersFB pic.twitter.com/4gTarv2vpt

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) November 20, 2021

Sanders missed four Tigers games because of his recovery and complications. Jackson State finished the season 11-2, including a victory over Prairie View A&M in the SWAC Championship Game on Dec. 4. 

That victory marked the Tigers' first conference title since 2007. They lost to South Carolina State 31-10 in the Celebration Bowl. 

The six-episode season of Coach Prime will drop on Feb. 22. 

The campaign to get Deion Sanders to the Dallas Cowboys is gaining more momentum, with former All-Pro running back Eddie George telling TMZ Sports that it would be a good move:

I don't think that's far-fetched. Prime has done an amazing job so far at Jackson State. In fact, he's been coaching for quite some time, not just in college but high school, little league, so he's been doing it for some years now and he's a culture-changer. He knows what he wants; he's been very successful in all levels. He's a winner. So I think it's a good fit.

George ended his playing career with the Cowboys in 2004 and has gotten into coaching himself, coming off his first season at Tennessee State.

Sanders has found even more success on the sidelines in his two years at Jackson State, leading the squad to an 11-2 record in 2021 while winning the Eddie Robinson Award as the best head coach in FCS. He notably secured a commitment from the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class in cornerback Travis Hunter.

The 54-year-old also has an obvious connection to the Cowboys after spending five years of his Hall of Fame career with the team, helping Dallas win its most recent Super Bowl title during the 1995 season.

Sanders would certainly provide a jolt to an organization that hasn't reached the conference championship since he was playing.

Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal suggested the same on The Big Podcast With Shaq last week (h/t TMZ).

"You want to get Dallas back rocking, bring Deion to the fold," Shaq said. "Deion will hold those players accountable. Deion Sanders for the next Cowboys coach."

The Cowboys already have a coach at the moment in Mike McCarthy, but the calls for Sanders might be enough for owner Jerry Jones to consider a change.

Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal has a somewhat unconventional choice for who should be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Speaking on his The Big Podcast With Shaq (h/t TMZ Sports), O'Neal offered the following advice to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones:

"I'm putting this out right now. Deion Sanders is the next head coach for the Cowboys. Jerry Jones, this message is from Shaquille O'Neal Incorporated, Deion Sanders for the next coach to Cowboys.

"You want the Dallas back rocking. Bring Deion to the fold. Deion will hold those players accountable. Deion Sanders for the next Cowboys coach. Put it out, tweet it, dammit. TikTok it, Instagram it, OnlyFans it, put it out."

The Cowboys are coming off a 12-5 season that saw them win the NFC East, but things ended in disappointment for them once again, as they fell 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs. The Cowboys have not advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs since the 1995 season.

Given that defeat, there is some question whether Mike McCarthy will be back in 2022 for a third season as head coach of the Cowboys.

While addressing the media last week, Jones declined to endorse McCarthy as the head coach moving forward.

If Jones does fire McCarthy, Sanders would be an intriguing candidate given his ties to the Cowboys organization.

Sanders is a Pro Football Hall of Famer who is considered one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history. He spent five seasons with the Cowboys, helping lead them to their most recent Super Bowl win in 1995.

More recently, Sanders has gotten into coaching, and he is currently the head coach of FCS college football program Jackson State.

While Jackson State is Sanders' first college job, he spent four years as a high school head coach previously.

After leading Jackson State to a 4-3 record in his first season, the Tigers took a huge leap forward in 2021, going 11-2. They have also landed some big-name recruits, beating out top-flight FBS programs in the process.

Sanders has quickly turned things around at Jackson State, and it is fair to wonder if he could do something similar in Dallas despite having no FBS or NFL coaching experience.

For now, the name to watch as a potential replacement for McCarthy seems to be New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, who was the Cowboys' assistant head coach from 2003 to 2005.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that Payton has yet to commit to coaching the Saints in 2022, meaning the door could be open for him to make the leap to Dallas.