A photo showing Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson on a hunting trip has been shared widely on social media. It drew attention because the two were among the best-known two-sport athletes of their era. An Instagram post featuring Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson recently got a quick reply from Sanders himself.
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“This never happened,” Deion Sanders commented.
The account Duckit Wash shared the image of them along with two large whitetail bucks lying in the truck bed.
“You think Bo & @deionsanders don’t know about this country boy lifestyle ❤️🤷🏾♂️😤😤😤🙌🏾💪🏾🤞🏾🔥🔥🔥💯💯,” the caption read.
That denial doesn’t sit comfortably next to the image, and it isn’t the first time he has stepped back from the hunting angle.
Sanders loves the outdoors, but by his own account there’s one thing he won’t do out there. On the Colorado Football Coaches Show on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, he was clear about where he draws the line.
“The only thing about it, I can’t shoot … a deer,” and followed up with “I can’t.” Two families of deer live on his property in Canton, Texas, and he says they’re safe. “I don’t play that,” he said. Asked whether fish are different, he answered that they’re part of the food group, and he agreed with host Mark Johnson that he couldn’t shoot Bambi: “I can’t do it.”
Fishing, though, is another story, and this goes back to last year. In October 2025, Sanders said he likes to chase bass on his Texas lakes, and he hinted that a “huge” turtle came up during Colorado’s bye week and didn’t survive the encounter.
He also said he brings along a “nine” for protection.
“His name is Nine, OK,” Sanders said. “I don’t fish without the comfort of that because, you know, where I am, it’s snakes. It’s coyotes. It’s wild hogs. It’s everything. And let’s just say the turtle didn’t make it.”
Nine is sometimes slang for a 9mm handgun, but he never said that’s what he meant.
His relationship with wildlife has come up before, too. At his August press conference, he told a story about meeting a deer on a morning walk during preseason camp, which began August 2.
“Black folks ain’t used to that,” Sanders said, recalling it. “Look, we made our contact, and I said, ‘You got it, dog.’ This you.” He added, “It’s you. It’s your world. I don’t know nothing. I’m gone. I turned around and got up out of there.”
The story is ordinary enough, but it shows how relaxed he seems when other coaches might be worried about their jobs.
Whether he has reason to worry is a fair question. Colorado beat Kansas State 27-24 in overtime in Boulder on Halloween, ending a five-game losing streak.
The Buffaloes are 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12, and Sanders is 19-26 across four seasons.
The money complicates things. His extension is worth $54 million over five years and runs through 2029, paying $10 million in 2026, $11 million in both 2027 and 2028, and $12 million in 2029.
If Colorado fires him without cause, it owes 75 percent of his remaining base salary, roughly $25.5 million before the end of this year or about $17.25 million in 2027.
A CBS report says Colorado isn’t believed to be in a position to cover a buyout above $25 million, which has fueled talk that he could return in 2027. Waiting a year would actually cost more, about $28.25 million in total, nearly $3 million more than acting now, but it would give the school time to raise the money.
The report also mentioned a negotiated settlement without saying whether Sanders would accept one.
For now, whether he stays is still an open question.