Rules are rules for everyone in the Deion Sanders system, be it family or anyone else. The former Dallas Cowboys star had to instill that attitude in his kids because the world was not going to be easy on them. Growing up, they needed to learn that their last name was not going to magically open any closed doors.

Deion Sanders Jr. and entrepreneur Corey ‘Flex’ Artis II were discussing one such incident from Coach Prime’s Jackson State stint. The Cowboys were going to play the Southwestern Athletic Championship game, and Artis recalled that Sanders would not tolerate anyone being late to the meeting. That rule also applied to Shilo Sanders, who, unfortunately, couldn’t make it in time. Sanders Jr. confirmed that his younger brother had to sit out that game.

“He’s a black-and-white type of person,” he told Artis on his show on May 31, about his father’s mentality. “It’s either going to be this, or it’s going to be nothing.”

Sanders Jr. also revealed recently that his father refused to help him when he had financial troubles. He allegedly had only $11 in his bank account once, and another account was in the negative. This was much more serious than Shilo showing up late. But according to Sanders Jr., Deion would have probably said, “Go do something about it. You’re a man.”

Shedeur Sanders can also verify this claim. At a press conference last year, he said that he often finds himself being able to hear his father instructing him to play better. At college, Deion Sanders was “definitely hard on [him],” he recalled.

Coach Prime really sees the world in those two colors. For example, the former Dallas Cowboys star still made it a point to show up on Colorado’s sidelines, despite struggling with health issues after his cancer treatment. Sanders chose to go under the knife to get to his team in time for the season, instead of taking the safer option, which would have kept him away. Colorado finished with a disappointing 3-9 record last season, but he still soldiering on.

The culture in Colorado is hard-nosed as well, thanks to Deion Sanders.

In the offseason, the coach incorporated a rigid fine structure for his Colorado. It’s $500 for being late to practice and $2500 for skipping practice, which would be taken from players’ NIL amounts. There are fines related to bad conduct in the public sphere, too, both online and in the real world. Players will also face trouble if they miss class.

“When you stop going to class, now you’re affecting me,” he told his team. “So we’re going to affect your check. When you stop going to class, and I see a multitude of Fs and Ds, we’re going to affect your check.”

Many others would also be able to recount other stories about Deion Sanders and his tough love. But had that been all that people knew him for, he wouldn’t be such a revered figure for his fans. Sanders has also offered a shoulder to lean on for his kids when things became overwhelming.

Deion Sanders stood by Shilo Sanders after he was cut by Tampa Bay

Shilo Sanders was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year after the preseason, and no team seems to have interest in him anymore. It was tough for him to make the cut anyway, since he was signed as an undrafted free agent. But after a year of no activity, Shilo thought that there was no “light [at the end of his] tunnel.”

Deion Sanders had reached out to Shilo right after the preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, the last time he suited up for an NFL team. Coach Prime wrote to him in a text, “Well, dawg, it’s over now.”

It was a tough reality for him to accept, but it came after a lot of patience. Deion Sanders, who had backed both his sons during their transition into pro football, had accepted the fact in stride, too.

“All the Sanders are gonna be straight, with or without football,” Sanders said in a press conference last year.

At the end of the day, he is their father, and had to raise them into adults who could hold their own. Today, both Shedeur and Shilo are facing their own battles, but are probably better trained to face them because of how Deion Sanders prepared them.