College football kicked off Thursday night, but fireworks were already in the skies. An online beef emerged between pundit and former Florida State quarterback Danny Kanell and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.
Sanders stirred something up earlier this week during a press conference at Colorado. A reporter told the Buffs head coach he was a “Nole.” Deion famously played college football at Florida State, where he became a huge star. He rode that run into the NFL and became one of the best cornerbacks in football history. However, Deion did not graduate from FSU. He graduated from Talladega College in Alabama, a Historically Black College and University, in 2020.
Sanders had joshingly corrected the reporter about this during the presser. He said that many people might not know this, and that’s probably true. Amid everything else going on in 2020, it was likely that Deion’s graduation may have gone under the radar. But again, how it was delivered seemed definitely in jest.
Those comments made it to Kanell, though. The former Seminole himself wasn’t happy.
Wow. The lack of respect for the school that gave him his start is wild. The same school that retired his jersey. The same school that let him be Prime.
There is a way to handle this question and this ain’t it. pic.twitter.com/Mw3D0BHmyJ— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) August 30, 2023
“Wow. The lack of respect for the school that gave him his start is wild. The same school that retired his jersey. The same school that let him be Prime. There is a way to handle this question and this ain’t it.”
Because the Internet works in fast and mysterious ways, Kanell’s comments about Sanders got back to Prime. The Buffaloes head coach appeared to have no time for his thoughts on the matter.
My man ain't Nobody let me be me! I was Him and still is. Your jersey only get retired if you're a Dogg and 1 of the greatest ever and I was. Ain't nobody give me nothing, I took it and earned it. Stay out of Grown folks business u have no idea what is what. The Truth hurts my… https://t.co/L6CHdVTumj
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) August 31, 2023
“My main an’t Nobody let me be me! I was Him and still is. Your jersey only get retired if you’re a Dogg and 1 of the greatest ever and I was. Ain’t nobody give me nothing, I took it and earned it. Stay out of Grown folks business u have no idea what is what. The Truth hurts my man. I got time!”
Deion indeed had time for Kanell in this online squabble. Sanders emphatically left little doubt where he stands on his comments and any outsiders’ comments. Prime has never backed down from anything before, so if you expected him to do so now, you are out of luck.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022