In 2021, with its unanimous decision in NCAA v. Alston, the U.S. Supreme Court created the name, image and likeness (NIL) player compensation system. This decision paved the way for top athletes, including current Colorado football star quarterback Shedul Sanders, to take advantage of this opportunity by signing lucrative contracts and sponsorship deals with the top brands in the country. Schools no longer hide in the shadows when it comes to player compensation, and NIL has opened the door to a new era in recruiting.
But Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders, father of Shedul Sanders, who has had deals with Beets and Gatorade since the early days of the NIL movement, expressed concerns about player compensation. At Big 12 media day on Wednesday, Sanders was not mincing words about his concerns about players focusing on the NIL.
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders talks NIL at Big 12 media day
Colorado Buffaloes frontman Deion Sanders owes much of his popularity and wealth to football. A superstar at Florida State in the mid-1980s, Sanders went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, playing as a shutdown corner for the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and the then-Washington Redskins. Sanders was a college star before the NIL was even a thing, serving as head coach at SWAC’s Jackson State in his first year and has had his fair share of experience in the new era of player compensation.
Deion Sanders talks recruiting and NIL.
“It’s great that kids are being rewarded for what they bring to the table. I don’t want winning to take precedence over matches. If you win matches, the wins will follow. I just don’t want to take away the purity of this great game.”
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) July 10, 2024
“It’s great that these kids are being paid for their contributions, but we don’t want them to prioritize winning over the game. Winning games comes with winning. We don’t want to see the purity of this great game tainted,” Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders said. This concern reflects a key issue in the NIL era: the potential risk of players prioritizing financial gain over the game of football.
Sanders is a strong supporter of NIL and player compensation, but is concerned about players who are only interested in making money. Sanders’ youngest son, University of Colorado football quarterback Shedur Sanders, is valued at $5.1 million in NIL according to On3 Sports and has contracts with Oikos, Gatorade and Mercedes-Benz. However, his son, who has more than 2 million followers on social platforms, has also had a spectacular run at the collegiate level. In two seasons at Jackson State, the Texas native threw 6, 9 and 63 yards for 70 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Meanwhile, last year at Colorado he threw 27 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Colorado: Aiming to advance to the Big 12 next year
With the Pac-12 in financial trouble, Colorado’s football program jumped ship to the Big 12 last offseason, setting off a domino effect. The Arizona State Sun Devils, Arizona Wildcats and Utah Utes joined Colorado in moving conferences. Only Arizona State had a worse record than Colorado last season. The Buffaloes went 4-8 and lost their final six games. But coach Deion Sanders and the team will have 12 new starters, including 11 via the transfer portal, according to Ourlads.
Additionally, Colorado returns the dynamic duo of quarterback Shedul Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter. In his first season with Colorado football, Sanders threw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions while routinely coming under pressure. Meanwhile, Sanders was named an All-American after a season in which he had 57 catches for 721 yards. He also recorded 30 tackles, three interceptions, five passes defensed and two TFLs.
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