Todd Gurley Says Deion Sanders Told Him Not to Wear His No. 21 Falcons Jersey

Todd Gurley is going to wear No. 21 with the Atlanta Falcons, even without the approval of Deion Sanders.

The running back told 92.9 The Game on Friday that Sanders didn't want him taking the number worn by the cornerback from 1989 to '93 with Atlanta, the first five seasons of his eventual Hall of Fame career.

"Prime was hatin' on me. He told me don't wear it," Gurley said, via ESPN.

He also understood the simple reasoning.

"Cuz it's Prime," he added. "If I was Prime, I wouldn't want nobody wearing my number either."

Sanders wore No. 21 throughout the first 12 years of his career across four organizations, a run that featured two Super Bowl titles, six first-team All-Pro selections and one Defensive Player of the Year award. He briefly wore No. 37 after coming out of retirement with the Baltimore Ravens.

Still, the Falcons don't officially retire numbers, and cornerback Desmond Trufant spent the past seven years wearing the number in Atlanta.

It means Gurley is sticking with 21 after wearing No. 30 during his entire career with the Rams.

The good news is Sanders is one of the few who like the new Falcons uniforms after their recent release.