Raymond James Stadium is packed with screaming fans. After all, you don’t see a hot matchup between the two highest-scoring teams in the NFC every other day! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play host to the Washington Commanders in the NFC wild-card playoff. And while the game has all the attention, a side development occurred, and it has to do with a former Bucs legend.

Cede Sapp may not have expected this special turn of events at the wild card game. As the Buccaneers dominated the first quarter with their lone field goal, Warren Sapp’s picture appeared on the big board, smiling, waving, and celebrating the good start. On January 13th, Cede posted a reel of her father showing up on the big board on her Instagram story, screaming in delight. And she captioned the clip: “heyyyyyyyy! @warrensapp”

Warren Sapp’s excitement is no surprise. The 52-year-old was a Bucs legend from 1995-2003 where he made history. With them, he was the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, made it to the Pro Bowl selections seven times, and was a 4x First-Team All-Pro. He left the Bucs after winning the Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003. But in 2013, the Bucs honored him by inducting him into the Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor. 

This only highlights Warren Sapp’s legacy in Tampa Bay. And he’s also a recipient of one of the highest honors a team can bestow upon a player. After making a name for himself as one of the greatest DTs in the NFL, Sapp had his jersey number 99 retired by his former team in 2013. He joined Derrick Brooks (55) and Lee Roy Selmon (63) as the only three Bucs players to have their jersey retired. As the wild card game waits for the second quarter, let’s do a little digging into what Sapp has been up to these days. 

Warren Sapp is locked in with Deion Sanders in Colorado

We can’t refrain from mentioning Deion Sanders where Warren Sapp is concerned. The Colorado HC gave the Pro Football Hall of Famer an opportunity to put his NFL legacy to good use by appointing him as the Buffs’ senior quality control analyst in the past offseason. The latest season of Amazon Prime’s Coach Prime docuseries released on January 6 revealed why Deion Sanders contacted Sapp. 

“I brought him to the house because I knew what he had inside of him because I’ve known him since he was in college,” Deion Sanders said. This opportunity to come to Sapp while he was at a low point in his life did wonders for him, as he feels forever grateful “for [Deion] to reach for me when nobody else was even looking my way. He told me I got a spot for you brother. I need you.” The Florida boys got each other’s backs! 

It’s good to see Warren Sapp embracing his position as a Colorado staffer. It’s also thrilling to see him reliving his past NFL glory. Hopefully, the Bucs can make it one of his most memorable nights with a win over the Commanders.