By Malaika Jabali· Updated December 5, 2022
Deion Sanders held his first press conference as head football coach of the University of Colorado Boulder on Sunday, and everyone has something to say.
CU announced the move Saturday night– a deal that would give Sanders $29.5 million over five years.
Sanders delighted fans two years ago when it was announced that he would coach Jackson State University, leading the HBCU to a record-winning season.
His decision to join JSU wasn’t just seen as an achievement for the university. It was viewed as a win for Black schools more broadly.
The Ringer said his coaching job made the school “the best story in college football,” that “flipped college sports on its head,” largely because of Sanders’ ability to bring top prospects to an HBCU.
The Athletic named Deion Sanders Sportsperson of the Year just last week, noting that Sanders elevated “the visibility of the football played at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, some that are in dire need of support.”
Some people thought Sanders did what he needed to do and has reasonably moved on to a lucrative job. A very, very, lucrative job.
Everybody mad at Deion Sanders. He’s helped JSU, set attendance records, new practice fields, new locker rooms, Under Armor endorsements deal. Countless other things. You leave places better than you found it. He did that. He’s done a lot for HBCU Football in 3 years.
— Coach J. Foster (@CoachFrost12) December 4, 2022Honestly the pressure should not be on @DeionSanders to stay at Jackson State. It should be on another high profile Black former NFL / College player to succeed him. Carry the torch. 
Deion stepped up and coached for 3 years. He started the trend.Who’s Next?
There were also some nuanced opinions about him leaving the HBCU.
It hurts that Deion Sanders left JSU for Colorado but I can’t complain about black coaches not getting chances then getting upset when they accept the rare opportunity. HBCU coaches almost never get consideration for these types of vacancies. So best of luck to @DeionSanders
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) December 4, 2022And there was scathing criticism, like an essay from Deadspin writer Carron Phillips who said that Sanders wasn’t committed to elevating HBCUs overall, despite the praise he received. “Sanders didn’t care about making HBCUs better,” he wrote. “He cared about making the one that paid him better — until he could parlay that into a better opportunity for him and his sons at a PWI.”
“Has Tougaloo College’s athletic department’s budget experienced a surplus that we haven’t heard about because of Sanders? Or how about Fort Valley State University? Morehouse College?,” Phillips continued “Or any of the other 106 HBCUs across this nation that didn’t have Sanders on payroll?”
Writer Jesse Washington also criticized the move before noting that it’s logical, acknowledging the larger social implications: “The jilted feeling is amplified because it seems to always turn out this way. Since America’s reluctant integration, Black talent and resources (and in sports, talent is the biggest resource) have been systematically transferred from our institutions to white ones. The result at Black colleges, newspapers, law firms, record labels, you name it, is less Black community self-sufficiency and more of the false perception that Black and Black-led is second-rate.”
Whatever camp you fall into, it’s clear Sanders has a challenge ahead of him at UC, which Washington notes has only had two winning seasons since 2005, while less than 3% of its 36,000+ students are Black.
TOPICS: Deion SandersThe post Deion Sanders Has Left Jackson State And The Internet Has A Lot To Say appeared first on Essence.
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