NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
How close are you and your father? We don’t have to ask that question to Shedeur or Shilo Sanders. We know how they feel about their father Deion Sanders and how he feels about them. While people are still trying to figure out Sanders, they must look no fatter than the relationship he shares with his high-profile kids.
Take it back to tossing the ball around or your dad taking and picking you up from school. Then you find something you both can call your own. It could be cheering for a specific athlete or sports team. Remember that feeling of seeing your dad in the stands at your games? It provided that extra boost you needed. Those little moments can go a long way for our kids.
Now, please take a moment to process what we’ve seen over the last 2 years with Deion Sanders and his sons on Saturday afternoon. While the nation was riding the Colorado Buffaloes wave, I was applauding what the Sanders family was showing the world.
Here is a black man whose kids will follow him through hell with gasoline drawers on. In a society where fatherless households are talked about, Sanders shows us differently with his bold personality. He showed us what we could do if we wanted to do it. It’s nothing like seeing Shedue throw a TD and embrace his head coach. It’s amazing to see Shilo get an interception, head to the sideline, and embrace his head coach.
Take off the helmet and the jersey and take a mental snapshot of those embraces between a father and his sons. It’s special when your players do well but being the head coach and watching your kids live up to the hype, that has to be something beautiful.
Deion Sanders Continues To Thrive
What’s the difference between what other fathers/coaches have done for ther kids over the years? Deion Sanders is a big personality but to say he doesn’t know football at the highest coaching level is absurd. All he needed was a chance. And the fact that he’s doing it with his kids by his side, makes this all the more special. But why is he not being celebrated the same way fathers/coaches in the past have? What does the media have against him?
How many stories have we seen or heard regarding his kids getting into any kind of trouble? Yes, some trash-talking and showboating are going on but that’s all in good fun. Is it any different when Caitlin Clark is on the court doing her thing in the opponent’s or fan’s faces? Is it any different when Luka Doncic or Stephen Curry is showing up opponents? Why are we just pointing out the Sanders family?
Hell, it even extends off the football field as his daughter Shelomi plays basketball for the University of Colorado. That’s three kids at one school making their respective marks as the women’s team is nationally ranked with a legit shot at the National Title. And yet, the media refuses to give this man the proper respect as a coach and as a father.
Imagine if this was Nick Saban and his kids in Alabama. Shedeur is a legit Heisman Candidate heading into the 2024 season. Shilo has a chance to make the NFL as a safety if he keeps his play up and Shelomi could find herself in the WNBA. How are we ignoring the genius of this man and his DNA? The media so badly wants him to fail at Colorado that they are missing the bigger picture here.
Kids want to play for him because he is Deion Sanders. They want to play for a person who holds everyone accountable for their actions, even his high-profile kids. They come to college to play for a coach they can see a father figure in. Playing for a tradition-rich school is great but playing for someone who understands you on another level, that’s where the real winning is.
