When you hear the name ‘Coach Prime,’ what comes to mind? A millionaire living his dream life being the head coach of college football’s coolest team, the Buffs. A constant presence and guide in his children, Deiondra, Deion Jr., Shilo, Shedeur, and Shelomi’s lives. We often catch the fam having a great time with each other. Can you imagine a man like him going through some sort of dark phase of his life? “Yeah, shoot, I went through a phase. God was calling me collect, but I didn’t want to accept the charges.” But what was the whole thing? Let’s learn.

DEION SANDERS @ COLORADO & FAMILY, a fan page of Coach Prime and his team, shared an old video of him from All The Smoke dated back on April 25, 2024. Hosts and NBA legends Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson sat with Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders to talk about NIL deals and transfer portals in college football. Amid all that, Coach Prime also talked about his struggles, and one, in particular, tested him the most.

Deion Sanders admitted that his life took a swift turn when his marriage with his first wife, Carolyn Chambers, was on thin ice. And when the reality struck him hard about losing his children, Deiondra and Deion Jr., he felt devastated. His life was messed up to the point where he thought of taking his own life. “Now your kids are taken from you, and you know, that’s the only thing you feel like loves you, because ain’t nothing else is real. The only thing that you feel like loves you came out your seed, so I’m like, damn, the kids gone.”

It was around 1998, and Deion Sanders was with the Dallas Cowboys at the time. The pain of divorce felt so little to him compared to the suffering of losing the little lives that he created.

Coach Prime continued his story, recalling a horrific night when he thought to take his own life. “I was going down the highway, Cincinnati, and I was playing Kirk Franklin ‘Conqueror’—ironic. I’m ’bout to off myself, and I’m playing ‘Conqueror.’ ‘What kind of conqueror are you, punk? You sitting up there looking in the rearview looking in the side view and you sitting up there trying to off yourself.’” He explained how he tried to drive his Mercedes off a cliff, a 30-to-40-foot drop. Fortunately, some police officers contacted Coach Prime and checked on him.

Sanders recalled more details from that night, saying, “I ran my car up the highway, dawg, and I got to the end… and I was still here. And I remember the police came down and they knocked on my window. They said, ‘You alright?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ They said, ‘Somebody ran you off the road?’ I said, ‘No,’”

Following that experience, people close to Deion Sanders asked him to seek help, and one person, in particular, helped him towards the path of faith, and that ultimately made the difference.

“My attorney at the time, Eugene Parker, who’s passed now, said, ‘Look, either I’m gonna get you some help, or we’re going to have to step away from the game and get yourself together some type of way because this is real.’” And he introduced me to a gentleman named Pastor David Forbes from Columbus, Ohio. I made the drive to him and he made the drive to me, and I started spiritual consultation,” Coach Prime said.

We hold our heroes to the highest of standards. Their highs and lows, especially in the world of sports- we witnessed their professional lives on the field. We see them make breathtaking plays or drop the easiest of catches. Amid all that, they remain our heroes. Even the most die-hard fans rarely get to have a glimpse of the hardships professional athletes endure off the field. On the one hand, Coach Prime’s retelling of this experience introduces us to another layer of his life that we have been witnessing since he emerged on the scene as a two-way star. On the other hand, it’s a reminder that our heroes are human, and like all of us, they go through mental health struggles. We are grateful that Coach Prime got help, and he is here to see his children grow up, become parents and sporting icons.

Deion Sanders’ life, children, relationships

A year later, in 1999, Sanders remarried to Pilar Sanders and had three children. Shilo, Shedeur, and Shelomi. However, for the second time, Deion Sanders was unsuccessful in his love life. Resulted in a high-profile public divorce in 2013. Deion Sanders even made allegations against Pilar of infidelity and abuse. Pilar accused him of abuse. Followed by a years-long custody battle.

Even after the divorce, Deion faced legal disputes for child support and defamation claims after Pilar publicly accused him of abuse. However, his relationship with his children has been a source of motivation for him. Fast-forward to today. Following his divorce from Pilar, Deion Sanders had a long relationship with television producer and entrepreneur, Tracey Edmonds. The two broke up after being with each other for 12 years.

Although Deion Sanders has seen failure in his personal life, he has always been thriving in his professional life. From being a Hall of Famer NFL legend to starting his head coaching career in college football. There ain’t no one like him. We all know where the Colorado Buffs were heading before Sanders. And where is it now? Deion Sanders completely transformed the program and taking it to new heights.