Deion Sanders Reportedly Didn't Push to Retire Shedeur, Travis Hunter Colorado Jerseys

ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon says Deion Sanders didn't tell Colorado to retire the jerseys of his son Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

“I have it on damn good authority, first of all, that this was going to happen," Wilbon said Friday on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. "I mean, this is anticipated from people who have been around Colorado for a long time because they knew immediately that folks would think that Deion spearheaded this, which I am told and I believe he did not.

"And people can say, ‘Well he had influence.’ Everybody has influence. Any football coach at any campus has influence. The athletic director did this. He did it. Not ordered by Deion. Wasn’t Deion’s hand moving him around like a marionette.”

The Associated Press' Pat Graham previously wrote that the decision to retire numbers in Boulder "is based on the discretion of the Colorado athletic administration and the current head coach."

Colorado announced on Monday that Sanders' No. 2 and Hunter's No. 12 would be retired on Saturday during the program's annual spring game.

The Buffaloes have previously retired just four numbers, most recently Rashaan Salaam's No. 19. Salaam played for Colorado from 1992 to 1994, and his jersey was retired as a posthumous honor after the 2017 season.

Athletic director Rick George said the decision was made because Sanders and Hunter had "led our team back to national prominence," per Graham.

Colorado went 1-11 in 2022 before hiring Deion Sanders, who brought Sanders and Hunter into the program and improved the Buffaloes' record to 9-4 by 2024. The Buffaloes still have yet to make it back to the College Football Playoff.

Some former Buffaloes players expressed frustration that Sanders and Hunter received the honor before team members who led Colorado to a national title in 1990.

When asked about the jersey retirements, Deion Sanders said Thursday that the decision wouldn't be under as much scrutiny if it didn't involve his son.

“We talking about Shedeur—we ain’t talking about nobody else. The only reason we are having this discussion is because his last name is Sanders," Deion said, per The Athletic's Justin Williams. "That’s it. It’s been so many things accomplished at this university expeditiously. It’s been unbelievable. And I think we should be appreciative. It’s a new day. We’re doing things a little different.”

Sanders' and Hunter's jerseys will be retired at halftime of Colorado's annual Black & Gold Day spring game, which will air Saturday on ESPN2.