Getty Image / Kevin C. Cox
Deion Sanders left Jackson State after the 2022 season following a 12-1 season to go take the Colorado Buffaloes head coaching position but he left the JSU Tigers on the hook for a pretty massive bill.
That is because in 2022, Deion Sanders pulled his Jackson State Tigers who were 27-6 under his tutelage out of their annual Southern Heritage Classic game against Tennessee State, a historic HBCU matchup held on neutral ground in Memphis.
At the time, Deion Sanders gave understandable reasons for terminating Jackson State‘s Southern Heritage Classic contract with Summit Management Corporation who puts on the annual event. Coach Prime posted on Instagram at the time to explain the decision, saying “Seven busses for the band. We have four buses with all our people. And who else goes? Administration. Hotel accommodations. Food, all that. … By the time we get back, we’re broke.”
By terminating Jackson State’s contract with Summit Management Corporation three years into the five year contract, Summit Management Corp. in turn sued Jackson State for $1.8 million in damages.
After legal proceedings, Jackson State has reportedly settled for $800,000, a bill that Jackson State now has to pay despite Coach Prime having left the school two years ago as the driving force behind pulling JSU out of the Southern Heritage Classic against Tennessee State on neutral ground in Memphis.
Interestingly, the Clarion Ledger reports the settlement was reached around Halloween 2022. So it has taken nearly a year and a half for news of this massive $800K bill that Jackson State is saddled with to come to light.
The settlement can be read here on Scribd.
Summitt -Southern Heritage … by USA TODAY Network
One has to wonder, at this point, if Jackson State wouldn’t be pleased to still be participating in the annual Southern Heritage Classic. JSU went 7-4 last season without Coach Prime at the helm.
Meanwhile, at the time the decision was made by then head coach Deion Sanders to pull Jackson State out of the annual game, it was the right one.
The school was barely breaking even on the neutral ground event and he recognized that. Also, at that time Deion Sanders likely had no idea he would be leaving for the Colorado HC position in a few short months. But the fact remains that the school is now footing the bill for a decision made by him.
HBCU Gameday writes that University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff was selected to replace JSU after they pulled out in 2022. Tennessee State ended up winning the 2023 matchup 24-14 with Arkansas-Pine Bluff getting shut out until the 4th quarter.
Those two teams will meet again for the 2024 Southern Heritage Classic during the weekend of September 12-14 with the game once again being played in Memphis.