“Get off the Field! Garbage!”: Deion Sanders Didn’t Hold Back While Blasting His Players for Not Pushing Enough

Deion Sanders has brought a new dawn to Colorado, and maybe even the whole of college football. The Buffs could only manage four winning seasons in 20 years, and last year was downright embarrassing for the team at Boulder. However, with Coach Prime at the helm, the team is expecting a full 180.

Sanders follows a military approach with his players. He is tough and expects greatness. As soon as he stepped into his role at Colorado, there were some major changes he brought on, like cutting most of the existing players from the team. Now, the former baseball player has made it to the cover of TIME magazine, where he talked about his mindset as a coach and much more. In the interaction, Sanders was even seen lashing out at players who weren’t performing at his expected levels.

Deion Sanders Shows What He is Made of, Makes it to TIME Cover

In the feature titled “The Unwavering Confidence of Deion Sanders”, Time Magazine’s Sean Gregory explores Sanders’ transformative effect on the Buffs, tracing the origins of this evolution back to Jackson State University and to his unconventional approach as coach.

Gregory accompanies Prime to a practice session with the Buffs and we see Sanders take on his role as coach. He expects toughness and perfection from his players, and he is not afraid to be tough on them when they don’t perform up to his standards. Gregory notes in the feature,

“Get off the field! Garbage! That’s horrible!” he (Sanders) says to one player who erred. “You ran onto the field as if you are about to have a baby in three months,” he tells a player who wasn’t hustling enough for Coach Prime’s liking. “Hey guys, that was horrible offensively today, I want y’all to know that,” Sanders says at the end of a practice. “There’s not a commitment to excellence whatsoever. You’re just going through the dern motions.”

Deion Sanders is changing college football forever.

He talks to @seanmgregory about turning Colorado into the biggest story in sports https://t.co/gVDRqcLfBC pic.twitter.com/U8VV4gCAtc

— TIME (@TIME) October 6, 2023

Sanders’ front page feature on one of the top magazines in the country is fitting. After all, he has become the most talked about man in the landscape of American college sports. His effect has truly been transformative. Sanders discusses his “unconventional” coaching methods, and he is unapologetic. His methods have drawn the ire of many. From his pushing out players to his hard coaching style, not everyone is a fan. The above instance serves as an example of Coach Prime’s “harsh” approach. But in true Sanders fashion, he just does not care. Gregory sums it up,

“CU hired him to win, and win now. And he’s doing it his way, with straight talk and unshakable confidence“

When Coach Prime Had Something to Say About Parenting

Deion Sanders is a hard taskmaster. There’s no doubt about it. In fact, he believes that parents are raising their children to be too soft. He is of the opinion that parents have become overly protective and focus more on shielding them, instead of exposing them to more harsh truths to toughen them up.

Sanders represents a different generation and being a player once himself, he is perhaps emulating his old coaches. He is bringing the “tough” energy from the past back with him, and he is proud of it. Despite what the critics might say, he is definitely doing something right. Gregory notes, “At Colorado, he has the power to change not only the fate of the team but also the multibillion-dollar college-football industry.” As he writes, “Love Coach Prime—a ubiquitous presence in ads for Aflac, California Almonds, and KFC—or hate him, you’re paying attention.”