Over the course of his two seasons as the head coach of Colorado, Deion Sanders has had a rocky relationship with the media. And that’s putting it lightly.
But on Saturday, Coach Prime engaged in an exchange with a student reporter, which could be considered one of the most heartwarming moments of the 2024 college football season.
The moment in question came following the Buffaloes’ 48-21 upset victory over UCF in Orlando. After student reporter Andrew Cherico asked Sanders about the success Colorado found in slowing down the Knights’ rushing attack, the Hall of Fame cornerback began to answer his question before sending a personal message to Cherico, who is wheelchair bound.
“First of all, I’m proud of you and your resilience and what you go through on a daily basis,” Sanders said, pointing his finger at the UCF sophomore. “I’m so darn proud of you, you have no idea. Because I was in a chair at one point with these toes being amputated. And I know what you deal with on a daily basis. I had to change my whole bathroom and put rails in so I could even get on the darn toilet, man. So I understand, and I’m proud of you man, truly.”
“I appreciate you, Coach. I’m trying to make the most out of it,” Cherico replied.
“You’re doing it,” Sanders responded. “You’re doing it.”
Taking to X shortly after it occurred, Cherico reflected on the exchange. And it’s evident that Sanders’ words meant a great deal to the 19-year-old sophomore, who refers to himself as “your favorite sports journalist in a wheelchair.”
Cherico wrote:
Wow, I’m blessed beyond belief to have witnessed @DeionSanders giving me a shoutout telling me he’s proud of me and all the work I do especially with the adversity I deal with from my physical disability. Thank you Coach Prime it means the world.
Growing up with a disability I knew I could never play professional football but my passion for the game never left instead it turned into a passion of speaking and analyzing the game.
I’ve had more struggles than I could’ve imagined in my short life but I’ve always been determined to make my dream a reality and it’s coming true in front of me and Coach Prime helped me realize that even more.
Now, I’m nowhere near close to my end goal but I want this to be a lesson towards anyone even if you have a struggle in your life or not, anything you want to do is possible with hard work and determination. You have the power to do whatever you want in this life.
Thank you to everyone who supports my work and coverage. Thank you for supporting me turning my dream into a reality- Your favorite sports journalist in a [wheelchair].
Wow, I’m blessed beyond belief to have witnessed @DeionSanders giving me a shoutout telling me he’s proud of me and all the work I do especially with the adversity I deal with from my physical disability. Thank you Coach Prime it means the world. 🙏🏼
Growing up with a disability… pic.twitter.com/5OIJUzrVPN
— Andrew Cherico (@Andrew_Cherico) September 29, 2024
While it’s easy to get caught up in Sanders’ superstar status and spats with the media — of which there have been many — his words of encouragement served as a nice reminder of the 57-year-old’s human side.
It was would have been easy for Coach Prime to have dutifully answered Cherico’s question and move forward with the rest of his press conference. Instead, he took the time to draw on his own life experiences to personally praise the student reporter and the work he’s done to be in a position to even ask him such a question.
