“A gold jacket type of understanding, wisdom, and a work ethic instantly respected by all. He’s on fire every day,” is what Deion Sanders had revealed about Warren Sapp in April, days after the latter joined Colorado Buffaloes’ coaching staff. But, hold on, this is just one of the many instances when Coach Prime publicly declared his fondness with the former defensive tackle. Fast forward to a few months later, and the head coach was taking his campaign to social media, keeping his dear friend out of harm’s way. And, this time, the antagonist? The Buffaloes’ Instagram page!

Around a week ago, the team uploaded a horde of coaching staff playing cards that featured Kevin Mathis, Jason Phillips, Gary Harrell, Phil Loadholt, Trevor Reilly Damione Lewis and even Sanders himself! But, strikingly missing was QBK, that prompted Prime Time to ask, “Where’s Sapp?” While there’s been no other development in that front and the post still remains untouched, it seems, Sanders and ‘Teddy Bear’ (or what Deion likes to call Sapp), have already moved on.

While on a much-needed vacation from the head coach role, Deion posted quite an assortment of pictures from his fishing trip. “Great day of Catching up with @warrensapp & his incredible friends! Love u guys man. That was incredible and we will be back. The PEACOCK Bass, Bass & the Fish I caught was the Bomb. The Peacock Bass & the Blue Gill had s*x and created an awesome fish I caught also that I don’t recall the name of it was awesome as well. I forgot what they called it but I know what went down. The was the biggest Blue gill/PeaCock Bass combo I’ve ever seen. Can they live in my Lakes in Texas or Colorado?” the post read. And it wasn’t long before the 51-year-old was commenting back with some heartfelt words!

“You are absolutely the Best!! Love U back Coach! 😍” the Pro Football Hall of Famer wrote. And how could he not, considering all the times Prime stood up for him?

Warren Sapp has had quite a few run-ins with the law. But, most often than not, the 2x Super Bowl champion has had no doubts about his talents, even defending his place as the new coaching staff member!

Sapp is in good hands!

With a whopping 13 years of NFL experience, Warren Sapp is a man every football fan knows. Not only was he a part of Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they won their first-ever Super Bowl in 2003, but he also earned  first-team All-Pro honors four times (1999-2002) with the team. But soon trouble hit as he landed in legal trouble with several accusations running rampant. In 2015, he was fired as an analyst for the NFL Network’s coverage of Super Bowl XLIV. “Warren Sapp’s contract has been terminated and he no longer works for NFL Network,” the network’s spokesman Alex Riethmiller had stated at the time.

However, despite the controversies, Sapp’s inclusion to his new role has transpired without many hiccups. As expected, Sanders has stood as a solid figure, emphasizing his respect for Sapp’s contributions to the game. Sanders announced Sapp’s addition to Colorado with great enthusiasm, saying, “I’m excited about Coach Sapp. He’s a dear friend that I love to life. He’s going to be invaluable to what he brings to the table. The [players] are going to love him … The recruits as well.” 

If we look back at history, the former Oakland Raiders players was regarded as one of the best defensive linemen of his era. So astounding was his contribution with the Buccaneers that the team even retired his Jersey No. 99 after he stopped playing following the 2007 season. At the time, he was also one of the twelve defensive players in the league’s history to win a Super Bowl, make the Pro Bowl, and be named Defensive Player of the Year.

However, with Sapp’s legal history being of concern to many, even CU cleared all doubts in a statement: “Warren Sapp successfully completed all of the necessary steps required of anyone who is employed at CU Boulder, including a background check,” in a statement.

Sapp, for his part, has also spoken highly of Sanders and Buffs, too. “I love this man to death from the first time I saw him… I’ve been a Deion Sanders fan since I was 12 years old. So we all here for the man. Let’s go riding. Championship time!” he said. Furthermore, in another interview, he had also mentioned that the players’ eagerness to learn from him and their respect for his expertise made him feel valued and appreciated. Finally, Buffs fans can now wait and watch what magic Sapp and Sanders cook up for the team and their upcoming 2024 season and hopefully move on from Sapp’s omission in the photo collection.