When a young Deion’s high school friends witnessed his mother mop the floors of Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, Florida, they made fun of her. “I was ashamed of my mama because she worked in a hospital. I was ashamed of my mama, who sacrificed, who loved me, who protected me, who gave me everything,” he reminisced years ago, but that one incident transformed his life and since then, it was never about money or fame; It was about his mama.

Everything he has done since then, be it his on-field achievements and celebrations, or clever marketing off the field, has been so that he can put dollars in his pocket for his mother, Connie Knight. This continues even today. But the roots of his slow and steady metamorphosis can be traced back to when he was just seven.

‘Coach Prime’ appeared in an interview with BLK & Bold Specialty Beverages, where he shared profound thoughts on why he does what he does. His collaboration with the company didn’t come out of the blue. Earlier this month, it was announced that the Colorado Buffaloes’s head coach partnered with them as co-owner and social change leader.

“My ‘why’ is to really take care my mama for the rest of her life, like I promised her when I was seven years old that ‘you never have to work another day in your life.’ And I was seven at the time and I retired her in 89. So, she has never worked another day in her life. But that’s consistently my ‘why’.”

He had made this promise to his mother as she cooked dinner for the young lad one evening after getting off of work. Connie Knight was a single mother and raised her son all alone after her divorce. She never had the opportunity to see ‘Prime Time’ play in high school because she was always working.

So when Sanders stated, “When I see the hate, that’s my ‘why’. When I see the confusion, that’s my ‘why’. When I see the naysaying, that’s my ‘why’. When I see the disloyalty, that’s my ‘why’. When I see somebody try to bring you down for no apparent reason whatsoever, I look at my ‘why’,” one can understand the motivation behind how Deion Sanders worked his way up in football.

However, having just his mother by his side throughout his life colored this perspective on football and recruitment, too. How? Well, Sanders may have received a lot of criticism because of his recruitment techniques, but one thing he knows for sure is that a potential prospect’s mothers keep it real.

In 2023, he stated, “On these recruiting trips, Mama tells everything. The Dad is going to be like, ‘You know my son is a killer.’ Mom will look over there, ‘You know that boy ain’t no killer.’ … I talk to the mothers most of the time, because Mama’s going to give you 100. The Mama’s going to keep it real because she wants her son protected.”

Well, his philosophy seems to have worked because the Colorado Buffaloes won against Colorado State on September 14. In Deion Sanders’s second season at Boulder, his team has gone 2-1.

Will Deion Sanders and the team redeem themselves?

The Buffs’ 2024 season started on a great note with their 31-26 win over North Dakota State in August. However, their efforts against Nebraska fell flat because the Buffs lost 10-28, and this also led people to wonder if the 2024 season was about to be just like last season.

However, their 28-9 win over Colorado State will shut down the naysayers for some time. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter even sat in front of CU’s offensive line to show they redeemed themselves from their last loss to Nebraska.

In an interview after the game, Coach Prime shared how playing against Colorado State was an emotional game, but he was happy with how his team handled it. However, we have to say that this game was nothing compared to the double overtime thriller from September 2023, which Sanders’s team won, 43-35.

Deion Sanders went on to address an incident that took place before the game against CSU. “The disrespect was uncalled for throughout the week… A couple of their players took shots at the whole program and a few of out players. So, it is what it is. We knew that coming into the game it was going to be a bit personal and it was. One of our coaches, coach Phillips, during warmups… one of the guys ran into him and elbowed him, which is uncalled for.”

Now, as Deion Sanders coaches his team to further success, we can see the motivation behind his actions. It is not just for his legacy, but for his mama, who worked night shifts to provide for her son.