Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes dominated the Utah Utes 49-24 on Saturday. The victory, coupled with BYU’s loss to Kansas, moved the Buffs into a first-place tie atop the Big-12 standings. Sanders’ protegé, Travis Hunter, further cemented his status as the Heisman Trophy front-runner in the contest.
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It seems, at this point, that only Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty could swoop in and steal the Heisman from Hunter. Unfortunately, the award wouldn’t be the first thing stolen from Colorado players over the past two seasons.
In Oct. 2023, Buffs players and staffers reported having “money and jewelry stolen out of the locker room” during their 28-16 road victory over UCLA. The incident seemed to be the fault of the burglars, but one notorious sports media personality claimed it fell on the shoulder of Sanders himself.
Just days after the incident, Jason Whitlock attributed the stolen property to Sanders’ team culture. He believed Sanders’ personality opened up his players to unnecessary risk, and wasn’t shy about expressing that opinion.
“I don’t care where Deion came from 40 years ago, these pampered, elite athletes that have spent 40, 45 years, or even 15-20 years being worshiped – they have no street sense at all, they’re pampered elites. When Deion is inviting the rap world into his locker room, into his sideline, into his game day experience, into his all-week experience, he’s inviting the gang criminal world into his environment.”
Sanders’ authenticity is one of the biggest reasons he has become a successful coach. He never hides his feelings. He is relatable, yet commands respect and can hold his players accountable when they make mistakes.
Whitlock may have made a point about Sanders’ lavish lifestyle not being the best example for college kids to follow. The treatment Sanders receives is never going to be immediately given to his players.
However, Sanders’ encouragement of every man on his roster to be themselves isn’t deserving of criticism. It’s worthy of praise.
Back in the incident’s aftermath, Sanders acknowledged he didn’t handle things perfectly. He said he “dropped the ball” and would be making an effort to tell players about “maintaining their finances.”
Since then, he has presumably adapted as much off-field as the Buffaloes have on-field. His adjustments deserve commending, not bashing.
Colorado battles Kansas – who defeated previously unbeaten BYU on the road in Week 12 – at 3:30 p.m. E.T. next Saturday.
