Colorado's Deion Sanders on NIL: I Don't Want Players to Put the Bag Before the Game

Few athletes capitalized on their name, image and likeness better than Deion Sanders, but the Colorado head coach doesn't want today's stars to put too much of their focus on NIL endeavors.

"I don't want them to put the bag in front of the game, because if they play the game, the bag is going to come," Sanders told reporters at the Big 12's media day.

The Hall of Fame cornerback has been pretty consistent regarding his general beliefs toward NIL.

As the 2023 season wore on, it was clear Colorado improved after Sanders and his staff overhauled the roster but that reinforcements were needed for 2024. Still, he made it clear the program is "not an ATM" in terms of luring players through NIL deals.

"If you come to Colorado to play football for me and the Colorado Buffaloes, it's because you really want to play football and receive a wonderful education," he said last November. "... You're not coming here to get rich unless you're really coming here with a plan to go to the NFL and get your degree."

Sanders expressed a similar sentiment when recounting an interaction with the family of a prospective recruit. During his appearance on the All The Smoke podcast in April, he said the player's mother brought up the topic of NIL, which prompted him to distance himself from the conversation.

"That's not my department. I'm about NFL," he told the mother. "You can talk the NIL about somebody else because when you start talking about money to me, that rubs me the wrong way with your shorty. I want to look at him like as a dog that wants to go to the NFL, not the NIL."

Sanders deftly understood how to market himself. He was a household name at Florida State before ever setting foot in the NFL.

But the 56-year-old was more than just a commercial powerhouse. He was a two-time unanimous All-American at Florida State and went on to be widely regarded as one of the best cover corners ever in the pros. Sanders had the talent and drive to back up his "Prime Time" moniker.