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Things aren’t exactly looking great for Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes these days.
After a remarkable start to his debut season, but Buffs looked like one of the worst teams in Power 4 football to finish the year and his relationship with local media seems to dwindle with each passing day.
But Sanders recently did something that deserves praise from across the cross. He used NIL as it was ended to be used, landing several Colorado players who have children of their own a deal with Boulder-based Elevations Credits Union. The Credit Union provided $2,121 placed into a long-term account for the players’ children.
Deion Sanders Explains Thought Behind New NIL Deal For Colorado Players
“I would not hire a coach that unless he’s a great father,” Sanders said to his team. “I don’t hire a coach that’s a deadbeat. I don’t hire a coach that’s not taking care of his responsibilities. I would never hire a man that says he’s gonna look at y’all, but he won’t look after his. That don’t make sense to me.”
Sanders gets a lot of flack. Much of which he brings on himself.
But this is a remarkably thoughtful way to use name, image and likeness rights and shows that he means what he says about setting up his players beyond football.
It’s one thing to straight-up give players money. That’s undoubtedly helpful and there are certainly Colorado players who are receiving direct payment through NIL deals. But this type of deal shows a sense of long-term vision and it’s a remarkably creative investment in the futures of both your players and their families.
Who knows how well Colorado will do on the field this season? This outlook is…not great. But this type of thing gives Sanders the ability to make an impact regardless of the results. And it’s really cool to watch him make it happen.