Deion Sanders Responds to Saban, “We Need To Talk Publicly”
Nick Saban sent shockwaves throughout all of college football last week when he went after various programs and the way in which they have utilized the newly instated name, image and likeness (NIL) rules to their advantage.
While the most popular quote of the night came when coach was talking about the Jimbo Fisher led Texas A&M Aggies, Saban also decided to bring another, much smaller, player on the national scale into the conversation.
Read More: Saban Scorches Aggies, "A&M Bought Every Player on Their Team" |
The legendary coach, amid his rant, singled out Deion Sanders and Jackson State for an alleged seven-figure NIL deal that netted the Tigers the nation's top recruit, Travis Hunter.
Sanders initially took to twitter to show his disdain for the coach's comments, but made an official response the following day in a publication from Andscape, ESPN's Black-led media platform, formerly known as The Undefeated.
Sanders said, "I haven’t talked to Coach Saban. I’m sure he’s tried to call," he continued, "We need to talk publicly, not privately. What [Saban] said was public. That doesn’t require a conversation. Let’s talk publicly and let everybody hear the conversation."
Showing a much calmer demeanor than that of Fisher with his response to the, now infamous, Saban rant, Sanders elaborated further on why he felt the coach singled Jackson State out.
“Coach Saban wasn’t talking to me. Coach Saban wasn’t talking to Jimbo Fisher. He was talking to his boosters. He was talking to his alumni. He was talking to his givers. He was trying to get money,” Sanders said, “That was what he was doing. He was just using us to get to where he was trying to get to.”
The alleged seven-figure deal was addressed by both Sanders and none other than Hunter himself, who took to his own twitter account and stated his evidence to the contrary.
Sanders said, speaking on the alleged NIL deal that secured Hunter's commitment, "Travis ain’t built like that. Travis ain’t chasing a dollar. Travis is chasing greatness. Travis and his family don’t get down like that,” Sanders continued, “They never came to us in search of the bag. They’re not built like that. This kid wants to be great."
Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers kick off their 2022 season on Sunday, September 4 against Florida A&M. The team went 11-2 last year and won the SWAC conference, defeating Prairie View A&M 27-10. In just two seasons, Sanders has taken Jackson State from a near conference bottom dweller to a dominant conference champion.