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On Tuesday, Deion Sanders surprisingly, openly distanced himself from the college where he became famous: Florida State University.
During a press conference at the University of Colorado, Sanders objected to a reporter referring to him as a ‘Nole.
“No, no, no, no,” Sanders corrected her.
“Do you know where I graduated from?” he asked, then proceeded to point out that he actually graduated from a HBCU.
“So, I’m a who?” he continued. “I thought it’s where you graduated from, isn’t it? Why do you keep calling me that if it’s not where I graduated from? I’m a HBCU grad.”
Technically, he is correct. Deion did graduate from Talladega College in Alabama, but he was also a ‘Nole.
But the point the reporter was trying to make was that he played football for Florida State. (He actually competed in three sports there, including baseball and track.) So she wasn’t wrong. At no point did he play sports at Talladega College, nor is he known for attending that school.
There is obviously more to the story that we aren’t aware of for Sanders to be so prickly when someone in the media attaches him to the school where he became famous.
Of course, Coach Prime’s FSU take didn’t sit very well with many Seminoles fans and at least one former player: 1995 ACC Player of the Year Danny Kanell.
“Wow,” Kanell, who was a quarterback at FSU from 1992 to 1995, tweeted after hearing Sanders’ comments. “The lack of respect for the school that gave him his start is wild. The same school that retired his jersey. The same school that let him be Prime. There is a way to handle this question and this ain’t it.”
Many fans think Deion’s animosity towards Florida State may stem from the fact that they never hired him to coach there.
Right?!? I still like Deion I just think he handled this all wrong
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) August 30, 2023
Regardless of the reason, Sanders fired back at Kanell on Wednesday, basically telling him to mind his own business.
“My man ain’t Nobody let me be me! I was Him and still is,” Sanders tweeted back. “Your jersey only get retired if you’re a Dogg and 1 of the greatest ever and I was. Ain’t nobody give me nothing, I took it and earned it. Stay out of Grown folks business u have no idea what is what. The Truth hurts my man. I got time!”