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“What Did I…?”: Deion Sanders Emotionally Reacts to Criticisms Surrounding Leaving JSU and Accepting University of Colorado Job

Published 12/21/2022, 2:28 AM EST

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Deion Sanders coached his last game for the Jackson State University at the Celebration Bowl this Saturday. And Coach Prime didn’t have a simple time moving on to his next job in his college football coaching career at the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Deion addressed the criticism he received for leaving after taking JSU to their former glory days.

Deion decided to leave HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) for a move up to the NCAA’s highest level, the Pac-12 Conference. And although he didn’t directly get the ‘traitor’ and ‘sellout’ calls, Prime Time had to explain his actions multiple times. Most recently, he did so with former Broncos and Ravens Super Bowl Champion Shannon Sharpe, on his podcast Club Shay Shay.

ALSO READ: Deion Sanders Sheds Tears as Perfect Season With Jackson State Comes to a Sour End

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Sanders is famous for taking up the hardest jobs possible and turning the table around wherever he goes. He entered Jackson State and revolutionised the football program. And Deion feels he deserves some credit for that. Contrary to the accusations, Coach Prime doesn’t believe he promised anything he didn’t deliver on. ESPN’s Bomani Jones took a shot at Sanders and said, “He sold a dream and then walked out on the dream.

What did I sell?” Deion retorted when Shannon read him the comments from ‘CNN This Morning’. “The dream is that I wanted equality. The dream was that I wanted these kids to get the notoriety and get to the NFL. We did that. The dream that we want better facilities and we’re overlooked and under-funded. We made strides towards that,” Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and 2x Super Bowl champion Sanders said.

Deion Sanders didn’t get the desired result in his final JSU game this Saturday

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Sanders got emotional in his final pre-game speech for the Jackson State football team before they went out for the Celebration Bowl game in Atlanta on Saturday. The South-West Athletic Conference champions were facing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference winners, North Carolina Central Eagles. JSU went into the game 12-0 for the season while the Eagles came in with a 9-2 record. The thrilling overtime bowl game ended a dream run for the former Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers player, with the Eagles triumphing 41-34 in overtime.

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JSU quarterback and Deion’s son Shedeur Sanders connected with the no.1 recruit in the 2022 class, WR Travis Hunter, to tie the game in the dying seconds of the game. However, North Carolina refused to sit back and let the Sanders dictate terms, rallying with an OT comeback to seal the win.

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WATCH STORY: Deion Sanders gives a striking solution to NFL’s chronic issue of lesser black coaches once and for all

After a 27-6 record in the last three years and two back-to-back SWAC titles, Coach Prime will attempt to revitalize a 1-11 Buffaloes Football program. Shedeur will join his father at the University of Colorado as their QB. And he is not the only luggage Deion is bringing with him. As recent videos showed him telling many existing Colorado players to find a new team.

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Written by:

Soumyapriyo Ganguly

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Soumyapriyo Ganguly is an NFL writer at Essentially Sports. He holds a degree in Economics and Statistics from the Indian School of Business and Finance. Rivu is a sports nerd with his favorites being Soccer, American Football, Basketball, UFC, and Formula 1.
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Edited by:

Gideon Mathson