Former Dallas Cowboys superstar Deion Sanders is taking an old-school approach to coaching that will serve to make men out of the players on his team.
No one expects anything of men anymore. Our society loves to complain about the lack of purpose men have while doing nothing to help them reclaim their masculinity. Collectively, we decided that men aren’t worthy of our care and attention. If they grow up to be good men, great. If not, great because it fits the narrative that all men are inherently evil, just some are better at hiding it than others.
Sanders is working to undo this reality for the players he coaches. In his first meeting with his Colorado football team, Coach Prime set the expectations for the season, including demanding his players live up to specific codes of honor, work ethic and professionalism. Sanders isn’t just giving them a gift that will win them championships. He is setting them up with the skills needed to succeed in any high-pressure situation.
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His advice works for men because he lives it. He is heavily involved in his children’s lives. Two of his sons, Shilo and Shedeur Sanders, play under his command at the University of Colorado Boulder. Oftentimes, professional athletes come from low-income, broken families, with their mother acting as head of the house. Likely, these men have never been required to hold themselves with integrity. Coach Prime is stepping in to break the cycle. He wants to give his players a chance to build a tangible legacy by teaching them to live up to their potential.
“I have a problem when young men, with everything in front of them, don’t believe,” Sanders said. “That’s a problem for me. A tremendous problem for me because you can rescue your momma, father, friends, your loved ones, the homies, [and] anyone who looked out for you. You have the ability and opportunity to do that, but you gotta believe.”
He was speaking to the team about their complacency. They were failing because they stopped putting in the work. On day one, the team was put on notice. Either you let the competition drive you to improve, or you flounder like a dying fish in a poisoned pond. The smart men in the room will see and take the chance being given to them.
Sanders isn’t asking anything out of the ordinary. He wants his players to treat people with dignity by showing up on time, doing the work and living up to the agreed expectations on and off the field. It’s not enough to make plays in the game. His players are required to act with integrity and contribute to the community positively outside of the game. Coach Prime wants his players to have control over their emotions as strong men always do.
When Sanders found out that Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn was receiving death threats for a brutal hit against Travis Hunter, who plays both wide receiver and cornerback for the Colorado Buffaloes, he stopped it. (RELATED: ROOKE: Has Neo-Marxist Gender Nonsense Turned Our Brains To Pudding? Men Leaving The Workforce Is Not A Win For Women)
“Henry Blackburn is a good player who played a phenomenal game. He made a tremendous hit on Travis on the sideline. You can call it dirty. You can say he was just playing the game of football, but whatever it was, it does not constitute that he should be receiving death threats. This is a still young man trying to make it in life. A guy that is trying to live his dream and hopefully graduate with honors, a degree, committed to excellence, and go to the NFL. He does not deserve a death threat over a game. At the end of the day, this is a game. Someone must win. Someone must lose. Everybody continues their life the next day,” Sanders told the press.
“That kid was just playing to the best of his ability. He made a mistake. I forgive him. CU, our team, forgive him. Travis, he’s forgiven him. Let’s move on, but that kid does not deserve that.”
Very classy move by Deion Sanders, who made sure to say this during his press conference today:
“Henry Blackburn is a good player who played a phenomenal game… This is a still young man trying to make it in life … He does not deserve a death threat over a game.”
“I forgive… pic.twitter.com/bx64k0ypgY
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 19, 2023
Coach Prime understands the game on the field is such a small part of the program he is building. There are ways to create a winning team without the need to promote the values that create good men. He could have let the media devour Blackburn and paint him as an out-of-control male athlete because our society values victimhood. Instead, he did what was right. He gave the kid grace.
Young men need strong male role models like Sanders to remind them how to find purpose and virtue in their lives. Football is a distraction. It’s not real life. When the lights turn off and the fans are gone, these men still have to understand how to be accountable. Their families and society are going to need them to honor their word, be professional, and put in the work. Sanders teaches his players to be more than what our modern world expects of them.