Colorado coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday that a remark suggesting he was willing to pay critics to stop talking about him was not meant seriously. "That was a joke," Sanders told reporters.
The comment came from Christopher Neely, a YouTube content creator known as "Uncle Neely," who has been with Sanders since his time coaching at Jackson State. Neely made the claim while appearing on an internet roundtable program. He said the people who attack Sanders would not earn the money they do without him to talk about. According to Neely, Sanders had told some of those critics he would give them $50,000 to avoid mentioning his name for a year. "And ain't nobody took the deal yet," Neely said.
Sanders appeared confused when a reporter asked him about the idea at his weekly news conference. Neely, who was in the room, gave the coach a quick summary of what had been said.
"Oh no, no, no! I think you misinterpreted that," Sanders said. He explained that he had told some of the people in the room he would love to give them money to stop mentioning his name, just to see how far that would go. "Some people live on your name," he said.
The coach added that he has dealt with criticism for most of his life, both as a player and as a coach. "I would never offer a man money. I don't give a darn what you say about me," Sanders said. He described the remark as a joke about people prospering off another person's name and brand. He also said he holds no ill will toward the reporters present. "I may not like some things you may do or say, but I don't know you enough to form that opinion," he said.
Sanders said the scrutiny he receives has become routine. "This is normalcy because I'm just different," he said. "I'm unapologetic about things I say and how I live my life."
The exchange comes as Colorado struggles. The Buffaloes have lost five games in a row and face Kansas State on Saturday. They sit at 2-5 this season, and expectations for improvement after last year's 3-9 finish have not been met.
Sanders is in his fourth year at Colorado, where he is 18-26 overall. He brought the spotlight back to a downtrodden program, and his quarterback son, Shedeur, along with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, helped produce a 9-4 season that ended with a bowl game appearance.
Sanders also reflected on his Hall of Fame NFL playing career, saying he was never one to talk on the field. He called himself a show-boater but not a taunter. "I never belittled, downgraded, hated. Never said anything to my opponent," he said. "I danced, I high-stepped. I never spiked the ball in somebody's face. I wasn't raised like that."
