“They were a city I could ride with, and I knew they was gonna ride with me. I chose them, and they chose me, and it was one of the greatest days of my life.” Have you ever wondered where Deion Sanders would be right now if he hadn’t gone with the Falcons? We do, too. It kind of feels surreal to imagine Coach Prime playing for, say, Detroit, Kansas City, or even the Packers. Why? Because Atlanta x Prime just works: This city needed another high-profile, trash-talking pro athlete who could talk the talk and walk the walk. Deion Sanders was exactly that. This romance and the No.5 draft pick for the Falcons were destiny. You know what they say, right? You take the man out of the city, not the city out of the man.

“When I was All American in my senior year, they took us on this All American trip… We went to Atlanta, and it blew my mind… I had never seen African-American people so influential… So I made up my mind right there… This is where I wanna go,” Coach Prime explains on the recent episode of Reach The People. Atlanta is the same city that has gifted the people Martin Luther King Jr. and Ye, but at the same time, has seen the rise of players like Herschel Walker and Mel Blount. The “2 Legit 2 Quit” team was everything Deion Sanders could’ve hoped for.

And well, his 1989 till 1993 run proved it: 60 receptions with 3 touchdowns and a fumble return TD. The Falcons became Prime’s launchpad, allowing him to spread his wings and soar to the 49ers, then the Cowboys, Redskins, and Ravens.

Also, did you forget the historic October 11, 1992? Being a 2-way star, 32 years ago, Deion Sanders “almost” managed to play in an NFL game and an MLB game on the same day. Soon after the Dolphins raised the cup on the 21-17 win over the Falcons, Coach Prime was off to catch a flight to Pittsburgh.

It was the Braves vs Pirates, after all, and Deion would’ve been the first to start. Unfortunately, Coach Prime was not put on the starting list, and the Pirates claimed a 7-1 win. Imagine having a 3.2 bWAR season with the Braves but still not being allowed to make history.

“Both of them were important. Both games were important. It’s a game. There’s fans. There’s teammates. There’s family. Everything. Every time you compete, it’s important,” Deion had said. Let’s be honest: if it wasn’t for Atlanta, maybe all of these shenanigans would’ve never happened.

But then again, this incident proved one thing. Deion loves to gamble it all away. Up until now, it has proven to be a good step. However, when it comes to his son, should Deion be the one making those NFL team decisions?

Manipulation at its finest by Deion Sanders?

“I’m not gonna let my son get down in no foolishness... I know what’s behind the curtain. We ain’t got to get back there for me to understand what’s behind the curtain and what’s not prominent for my son. I’m not doing it.” We often go back to Coach Prime’s statement regarding Shedeur Sanders and his NFL fate and wonder if Deion Sanders is taking a very “drastic” step.

See, we understand that Deion wants a good franchise for his son. He would go to the extent of pulling an Eli Manning stunt. However, won’t this harm Shedeur in the long run? Look at it this way. A simple interview and Shedeur’s decision not to throw in the combine instantly labeled him as ‘arrogant.’

Now, if we are going off of the “theories,” then many believe that this was done by some GM to tank Shedeur’s stocks so that his team could swoop in for the kill. But when you add Deion Sanders’ manipulation to the mix, it could end up creating a whole new negative perspective about Shedeur Sanders.

A lot of football fanbase hates the Sanders, and this “It’s a couple of teams I won’t allow him to play for,” is like adding gasoline to the forest fire. Honestly, fans would rather love to watch Shedeur pick his dream team, not his father.