The atmosphere just got intense in Boulder as death threats surround head coach Deion Sanders, turning frustration into fear. After a disappointing 3-9 season, fans were already fuming with anger, and now that fury spills over, prompting Coach Prime’s security to tighten protection, ensuring Colorado’s staff and players remain alert.

“I’m Officer Rhodes. I’m head of security for Coach Prime,” Deion Sanders’ bodyguard Michael Rhodes told the team. “Real quick, I want to say this. Those of y’all that are new, when y’all head up to the facilities in the morning, be mindful of who comes in with you, especially on the elevator. Don’t let somebody coerce you into scanning them up on the floor, because everybody’s trying to get to Coach Prime.”

“Those people that are trying to get to them, not all of them have good intentions. So just be mindful of that, don’t prop open any doors, because my philosophy is, if the doors open, they will come through. Then they’re gonna have to meet me,” Rhodes added.

As per Sanders’ bodyguard, Deion Sanders receives five death threats per day, which increases the security concern even more. Rhodes works for Colorado and makes $48,880 a year. He used to be a police officer at Jackson State, where Sanders coached, before coming to Colorado.

He doesn’t just protect him but also scans Sanders’ mail for potential risks and stays with him all the time to make sure he is safe. Stressing why he needs safety, Sanders makes his point clear to the team in the very first meeting.

“We get death threats all the time,” Sanders said. “Why? I’m a Black man making it happen, making things move, making all that happen. So we have stuff that’s real.”

Knowing Deion Sanders’s popularity, these threats don’t seem to be shocking. This isn’t the first time this has happened. Back in 2024, his bodyguard Michael Rhodes appeared in the Coach Prime documentary on Amazon Prime Video and discussed how he got death threats all 2024 season long.

That included multiple concerning threats from people trying to harm him before their rivalry game against Colorado State. To make sure nothing happens to him, Rhodes has to send those threats to the police and the FBI.

Fans or trolls going overboard with the losses their team faces is not a new thing. Back in 2024, when Ryan Day lost to Michigan, his family received several death threats. What’s worse is that even winning a title game didn’t end it until he won their rivalry game in 2025. So now you know why security is tightening in Boulder.

Now, a disappointing losing season could be a major reason behind the death threats. Or maybe the spotlight the Sanders family is often under could also be a contributing factor in it. On the other hand, Sanders isn’t just dealing with personal problems, but also in his professional life, especially when it comes to the Buffaloes.

Deion Sanders’ Colorado’s major financial trouble

Colorado’s athletic department made a lot of money in fiscal year 2025, with Deion Sanders bringing a lot of attention to the program. As per their annual NCAA financial report, the department posted $161.7 million in revenue. But even with that success, the school has to give the athletic department $43.5 million just to keep it from a deficit in the 2024 season.

From that $161.7 million, Deion Sanders’s team was left with just $160,189 and could only survive because of that $43.5 million. From that amount, $24.5 million went to direct university support, $17.3 million on school costs, and $1.7 million came from student fees. But that financial outlook looks worse for the 2026 season.

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Colorado projects a $27 million deficit even while expecting $11.9 million in institutional support and $2.2 million in student fees. A major factor in this dip is the revenue sharing of $20.5 million. Which, along with Deion Sanders’ $10 million contract, is adding up to the debt.

Now, with increasing money needs, even revenue streams are also shrinking. The football ticket revenue fell to $24 million in fiscal 2025 from $31.2 million in 2024. Colorado sold only four home games in 2024 compared to six in 2023. With everything at stake, it will be interesting to see how Deion Sanders’ team holds up to this adversity.