Rather than feeling hopeful or excited for the start of spring ball, the Colorado Buffaloes were instead filled with a sense of dread and heartache. When the Buffaloes awoke on Sunday morning, they were met with the news that their backup quarterback, Dominiq Ponders, had passed away in a tragic one-car crash at approximately 3:00am.
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With heavy hearts, the program soldiered through its first official practice of the spring season, but not before their head coach and NFL Hall of Famer, Deion Sanders, could ensure that they were okay with doing so. “Is there anybody in here that, mentally, psychologically, emotionally, that can’t do it?” the former Atlanta Falcon asked during their first team meeting since Ponder’s passing.
“That doesn’t separate you and make you look like a weaker man,” he explained. “That makes you look like an honest man… So, one more time, does anybody have any opposition to going out there to work today? Because I don’t want you going out there to work if you don’t feel like it.”
After a moment of silence with no objections being made, Sanders simply nodded his head. “Then we’ll go to work,” he said. “Let’s make it a good one guys.”
In an emergency meeting that was held the night before, the players reportedly agreed in unison that their late teammate, who was just 23 years old at the time of his passing, would have wanted them to proceed with their first reps of the new season. According to ESPN, the team’s running back, DeKalon Taylor, described the atmosphere at Monday’s practice as being “Almost like a boost of energy, like he was there with us. That’s what it felt like.”
On Sunday afternoon, Sanders made a heartfelt post on social media noting that “Dom was one of my favorites” while asking “God please comfort the Ponder family, friends & Loved ones.”
According to local authorities, Ponder was traveling on Baseline Road in Boulder County when he lost control of his 2023 Tesla Model 3 while negotiating a right-hand curve. His car proceeded to fly across the opposite lane, bursting through the guardrails and hitting an electrical pole before rolling at least once and ultimately catching fire.
Local authorities are continuing to investigate the crash, but were able to confirm that Ponder was alone in the vehicle at the time of the incident. Due to the ongoing nature of teh investigation, the public is being asked to respect the privacy of the Ponder family, as well as the late quarterback’s loved ones.
