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Music Superstar Diddy Makes Massive Pledge To Jackson State Football After Deion Sanders Departure

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When Deion Sanders left FCS Jackson State for the greener pastures for Colorado, many wondered what would become of the HBCU football program.

Sanders brought plenty of notoriety to both the school and the program, but with him heading out the door there was concerns that others would as well.

“Everybody knew Sanders would eventually leave for a bigger stage, and he said as much himself. Nothing wrong with that. We need more Black coaches to compete with the Nick Sabans and Jim Harbaughs. Many anticipated that as soon as Florida State had another 5-7 season, Sanders would be hired to coach at his alma mater. If not them, there were a range of other options, including emerging power Cincinnati,” Jesse Washington of AndScape wrote at the time. “Until then, he could continue to attract dollars and future NFL draft picks to Jackson State, while raising the profile of the rest of the historically Black Southwestern Athletic Conference.

But choosing a doormat like Colorado? Really? That sends a message that running a lousy program at a predominantly white school is a better option than leading the best Black one.”

Sanders did make a point to hand-pick his successor at Jackson State, T.C. Taylor. Taylor is a Jackson State alum who served on Sanders’ staff after a number of years of prior coaching experience.

But that still doesn’t draw the eyes, or the money, that Sanders did.

Enter musician and record executive/producer Diddy.

Otherwise know as Sean Combs, the music superstar attended fellow HBCU Howard University, but left after his sophomore year. He later returned to receive an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities.

ESPN’s John Grant revealed that Diddy will present the program with a check for $1 million at their season-opening game against South Carolina State.

The game will be broadcast live across the country on ABC as a part of the annual MEAC/SWAC challenge which matches up schools from the two predominant HBCU conferences.