"Lack of respect for the school that gave him his start is wild" - Danny Kanell slams Deion Sanders for his ungrateful response to FSU question
In his latest weekly press conference, Deion Sanders was asked by a reporter who called him a 'Nole--a shortened version of the Seminoles from Florida State University.
But the Colorado head coach replied he doesn't rep FSU, and that he graduated from an HBCU instead. He actually did do that, getting his bachelor's degree from Talladega College in 2020 (via TheSpun).
Fellow former NFL player Danny Kanell had some choice words about Sanders's response on Twitter:
"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."
While what Deion Sanders said is technically true, he did start his college football career as a member of the Florida State Seminoles in the 80s. He was a massive star for the 'Noles back in the day, where he earned the nickname "Prime Time."
Even as of today, he holds numerous FSU career statistical records in punt returns and punt return yardage (via FootballFoundation).
Deion Sanders is technically no FSU alumnus
Despite being one of the greatest players in Florida State history, it is quite clear that Deion Sanders never graduated from FSU. His four years there spanned 1985-1988, which was more than enough time for him to make his mark.
As a result, Sanders' comments didn't sit well with a bunch of Seminole fans online.
User @ewoo305 said:
Another user, @sstaffordtweet, chimed in:
But while his choice of words sounded a little aggressive, Kanell did reply eventually that he still likes Deion Sanders--he just mishandled the situation:
Why doesn't Deion Sanders rep the Seminoles anymore?
People have their own theories as to why. But it seems that the more prominent reason is that Florida State never hired him to be the Seminoles' head coach.
Sanders was introduced as the new head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes last year, vowing to overhail the program to turn it around after numerous disappointing seasons.
As such, fans think him claiming to not be a 'Nole is a bit of a slight against FSU for not hiring him--but the real, factual reason is not known. Either way, Sanders will still remain one of the greatest players to ever suit up for Florida State, even if he distances himself from the school further.