My thoughts on Deion Sanders…
There are numerous opinions regarding Coach Prime's departure from Jackson State. I for one am really grateful for everything he has done for Jackson State and HBCUs in general.
The problem is systemic, and the demand for a savior should not lie exclusively with one person.
Coach Prime has stated publicly that he desired to be a college head coach, and when nobody gave him a chance, Jackson State provided him with the opportunity to demonstrate his coaching abilities.
If Deion Sanders, for example, went 8-4, 9-3, and 11-1 without dominating the way he did, nobody would have paid any attention. The narrative would have been he is a decent coach, but not a great one.
For those that say he should have done more must understand the economic effect he had while being in Mississippi for 3 years.
He contributed approximately $30 million to the city of Jackson, including $9 million for the 2022 JSU Homecoming and $4 million for the BoomBox Classic.
He was the top recruiter in the history of HBCUs, signed the first 5-star recruit in the history of HBCUs and had the highest quality prospect commit to HBCUs in 2021, putting them on the map nationally.
From there, he was able to clinch a 10-year, $120 million ESPN contract with the SWAC. This includes 125 games broadcast in 2022 and College Gameday's second visit to JSU in HBCU history.
He was then able to arrange an HBCU pro day for NFL organizations to scout HBCU players and shed light on the talent of HBCUs.
This is where the systemic problem rests, and if this is true, then Coach Prime leaving is irrelevant.
According to reports, JSU stipulated in Deions' contract that he would receive a portion of ticket sales after 30,000 tickets had been sold.
This never occurred. The ticket sales "disappeared."
Deion Sanders constructed a brand new locker room and tennis courts with his own funds.
Deion fed his athletes himself.
When JSU participated in the Celebration Bowl, JSU did not provide funding for campus improvements. Deion never received a new contract following his first year of success at JSU.
If it is true that football funds were stolen and transferred to general funding | scholarships, then it is a WE issue and not a HIM issue.
If Deion Sanders had stayed and continued to dominate as he did, it would have highlighted the disparity in talent between JSU and the other SWAC teams which would hurt the HBCU's in the long run (Same how many think that Nick Saban ruined college football because of his dominance)
In the first quarter of the SWAC Championship, JSU was dominating Southern 28-0.
Remember that he accomplished this in three years!
He surpassed all expectations. Imagine what he could accomplish with ample resources if he was able to accomplish this with minimal ones.
Now, he will go to a Colorado team that has been a joke for the previous 15 years and is coming off a one win season.
This will be his new challenge. If he can win six games next season and make his team bowl eligible, he will become a LEGEND!
Remember that he is the only African-American head coach in the Pac-12. If he is successful he now creates opportunities for other Black head coaches that wasn't there before.
He will now bring the same JSU players that he recruited and will demonstrate their talent against the nation's top competition.
This will be a great opportunity and challenge for them and see more opportunities outside of HBCU's.
People come and go. Players come and leave. Coaches take opportunities. That's part of life!
What does matter is the impact one has on the world and did they leave it better than they came into it.
He has completed his mission and is now on to the next challenge.
It is now our responsibility to build upon the foundation that has been laid and take our HBCU's to the next level.
At the end of the day, there is not a single individual reading this who would turn down a promotion and the chance to take on a new challenge to better themselves and their family.
It's amazing the amount of hate that I see from my own people (Dr.Umar, Bomani Jones and Boyce Watkins to name a few.)
If this is how we are going to treat our own then he shouldn't have ever came to Jackson State in the first place.
Its amazing the silence when it came to Brett Farve. One man made money for Mississippi (Deion) and one took money (Farve) yet the outrage seems to be focused on only one and its coming from our own.
Lastly, I don't hear ANY one make mention that HBCU funding fell from $45 billion to $2 Billion dollars under Biden's spending plan.
But yea let's blame Deion Sanders for leaving because clearly he was the problem smh.
The self hate needs to stop. We need to uplift and encourage our own if we don't who will? Let’s be the change that we desire so much for others to be!
