You come for the king, you best not miss. Now conceded, Shedeur Sanders hasn’t quite earned king status yet. But a verbal attack on him, especially one misguided towards his attitude, is essentially an attack on his doting father, Deion Sanders. Who has very much earned that moniker of king. Coach Prime shares an intrinsic bond with all his children that runs far deeper than mere blood and DNA. So when Shedeur was subjected to a rather scathing character assassination veiled behind anonymity, you know Deion had to dig for the perpetrator. Turns out he did, and he let them know just what’s up.

In the aftermath of the Combine down in Indy, revered NFL Insider Josina Anderson relayed what an unnamed QB coach said to her about their interaction with Shedeur Sanders. It was alleged by this coach that Shedeur came across as “brash” and “arogant” during their team interview. This report caught on and spread across CFB discourse. Both traditional and new media spoke about it at length. Naturally, Shedeur—and by extension, his father/coach, Deion Sanders—were scrutinized. However, certain factions stood ten toes down. Yes, Shedeur can be as extravagant and indulge in as much pageantry as his father. But at no juncture of his young career has he come across as arrogant or egotistical. People that gave him the benefit of the doubt can pat themselves on the back now. 

Deion Sanders guested on “The Skip Bayless Show,” where the namesake host confronted him about the incident. Deion stated he indeed found the QB coach who spoke to Anderson. This led to a revelation that, quite honestly, is just as resounding as the initial report itself. Skip Bayless asked whether Josina Anderson’s report “angered [Shedeur’s] father.” Skip, being the veteran he is, knew exactly how to frame the question. Probing Deion about how the father felt, not the coach who’s developed Shedeur’s character on-field over the years. Deion Sanders said, “It didn’t anger me. But you know me, I’m gonna get to the bottom of it. So I called that team, because I tracked it down. I called the head coach, and we had a candid conversation.” Prime proceeded to reveal the contents of said conversation.

“[The anonymous head coach] said, ‘Prime. That never happened. Matter of fact, it was a great interview. We all walked out of there saying, ‘Dang, this kid got it.’ That never happened,” revealed Deion Sanders. This sure forced Skip into a bemused expression. Deion isn’t one to get coerced into believing something so easily, though. He indeed pushed back on the head coach’s stance, which implies one of two things: either the report is fallacious, or the QB coach lied to Josina Anderson about how Shedeur came across. Anderson’s a vetted pro whose reporting is meticulous. The report being fake is not a viable out. Which Deion recognizes. “This guy on your staff lied. So you need to check him” is what Prime said to the HC. “He did check him,” he added. Boss calls were made, quite literally.

Alas, Deion even delved into why the QB coach may have lied. “You never know if somebody’s getting compensated from another agent. To try to down our guy so that another guy [can shine],” alleged Deion Sanders. That last name really does invite a lot of chatter. Some good, some bad. Some fair, some misinformed. Begrudgingly, this isn’t even the only incident of some misreporting around Shedeur and Deion Sanders. Another one spawned earlier this week pertaining to the NY Giants, which Deion again had to dispel.

Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders had to contend with more falsified reporting

Deion Sanders was a keynote speaker at a non-football conference in Chi-Town last week. Here, he was apparently asked which NFL franchise he wishes would draft Shedeur Sanders. “Let’s hope it’s New York,” is what Deion replied according to conference attendee John Sokol. This quote spread like wildfire. However, Prime brought out the fire extinguisher on IG, as he denied ever saying this. 

In response to an Instagram account relaying that fake quote, Deion Sanders took to the comments section and said, “THIS IS A LIE! We’re thankful for whatever God chooses for [him].  This is a bothering trend. It’s one thing for fan accounts and burners on social media to misconstrue quotes and garner clicks. But for legitimate news outlets to pick this up during a crucial phase of the draft process is a travesty. Suspend disbelief and say Deion was indeed hoping the Giants would draft Shedeur Sanders. The signs don’t bode too well.

The quote wasn’t just pulled out of thin air and ran amok. It was founded in a realm of possibility. The Giants were widely being touted to pick Shedeur with the #3 overall pick. However, those mock drafts and predictions now have a Russell Wilson-shaped cloud raining over them. Russ has just signed on as a free agent on a 1-year deal worth up to $21 million. This, in tandem with the Giants also signing Jameis Winston, suggests they won’t draft a QB in round 1. Rendering Shedeur Sanders’ future inconspicuous. There are a lot of moving parts at play here. Deion will just hope there’s no make-believe stuff dirtying what is already muddy water that the family is treading.