Football legend Deion Sanders laid down some firm behavior standards for his team going into his first season as head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Sanders, who made the move from Jackson State in December, told his players that they would be asked to leave the team if he learned that they were not treating women with respect — or worse, if they were involved in any kind of domestic disturbance.
Sanders brought in a group of women to drive home his point, explaining to the team exactly what he meant.
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"We are going to respect our women wholeheartedly" –
Coach PrimeDeion Sanders has an important conversation with his players about respecting women! ✊🏾 || 🎥 @DeionSanders @DeionSandersJr pic.twitter.com/IHCv7wLlBS
— BET (@BET) January 20, 2023
“One thing I don’t condone is disrespect for a woman,” Sanders told the team. “And calling a woman out of her name. So when you pass by these beautiful young women, I don’t know if they’ve graced you to call them by their name or their title. You find out. To not be mistaken, I would say ‘Ma’am.'”
Sanders then joked that some of the women might “check” the players who called them “ma’am,” objecting that they were “not that old” — and several of the women standing with him just smiled.
“Be courteous, be gracious, and be polite,” Sanders continued, going on to make it clear that his rules extended to behavior outside of the football program and even in their personal lives and relationships.
“If there’s any dysfunction or obstruction with your girlfriend, fiancée, or whoever, with any abuse, that’s it, it’s over,” Sanders said. “Don’t call me, don’t have your momma call me, don’t call Rick. It’s a wrap. You understand that? We gon’ respect our women wholeheartedly.”
When Sanders told the players not to call Rick, it’s likely that he was referring to University of Colorado Athletic Director Rick George.
Sanders scored another win on Thursday, announcing that five-star cornerback Cormani McClain had flipped his commitment from the Miami Hurricanes to play for Sanders at Colorado instead.
Deion Sanders flips five-star recruit, top-ranked cornerback chooses Colorado over Miami https://t.co/xXfc3050pI
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 20, 2023
McClain, who committed to Miami in October, explained the reason for the flip to 247sports: “I play DB (defensive back) and Coach Prime is the best DB. I wanna be in the same shoes, same predicament, gold jacket, everything. Get coached by the best DB. Why not?”