NFL News: Deion Sanders says he can ‘do better’ days after Shedeur’s draft slide
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Colorado football head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders sent a cryptic X post on Wednesday.
Sanders’ post comes just days after his son Shedeur shockingly fell to the 144th pick in the NFL Draft, in one of the most unprecedented slides in recent history. However, his post did not directly reference that topic.
“I can do better, I know better, I was taught better, I’ve seen better and I’m definitely better! I’m also thankful for another opportunity to do what I’m blessed to do and I won’t take it for granted. Lord Create in me a pure heart and renew the right spirit within me,” Sanders wrote.
NFL AGENT BREAKS DOWN TRUMP’S IMPACT IN SHEDEUR SANDERS SAGA
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders talks with quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the Central Florida game, Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Sanders’ post echoes a consistently Christian theme that the family has exuded throughout the situation.
Shedeur himself thanked God in social media posts several times, from Thursday to Saturday, including two X posts that went live just minutes apart – before and after he was chosen by the Browns.
Deion Sanders Jr. made five X posts citing Bible verses dating back to Thursday, and was frequently re-sharing them as his brother fell in the draft.
Meanwhile, the father has turned to religion in previous difficult chapters in his life.
Deion has said he devoted himself to Christianity shortly after his first divorce from ex-wife Carolyn Chambers in 1998. Sanders opened up about the experience during an interview on “Running Wild” with Bear Grylls in November 2023.
“That’s when I went through my first divorce in which the only things that I knew that truly loved me were my two kids. Now they’re gone, now they’ve been taken away. It was devastating, and I went through suicidal thoughts, a suicidal period,” Sanders said.
“I ran this car off the side of the highway, and, at the bottom, I thought this car would just flip, and it didn’t flip. And I was still there. Shortly after that, I just had to come to the Lord with my hands up and say, ‘I’m done. I can’t do it anymore. You got me. I give up. God, you take me.'”
During an introductory press conference last year commemorating his position as new head at UC, Sanders praised God.
“Out of all the persons in the world, God chose me,” Sanders said. “For that, I thank Him; for that, I love Him; for that, I magnify Him; for that, I glorify Him; for that, I praise Him; for that, I owe Him. Each and every day, I’m trying to please Him,”
Sanders has maintained his family’s devotion to faith even amid pushback from external sources.
He came under fire by an anti-religion group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), over his use of a team chaplain for Colorado this past season. Sanders had Pastor Dewey Smith pray over the football team after its win against Baylor University on Sept. 22.
SHEDEUR SANDERS OPENS UP ON HISTORICA NFL DRAFT SLIDE, PRANK CALL AND BECOMING A BROWN
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders before the North Dakota State game, Aug. 29, 2024, in Boulder. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
The FFRF released a scathing four-page letter condemning Sanders, claiming that having Smith do the prayer counted as “unconstitutional religious activities,” as he leads a football team at a public university.
When Sanders became the head coach at Colorado in 2023, the FFRF raised concerns about his previous open display of faith with his team. This resulted in the university giving him additional training on the boundaries of religious expression in public institutions. The university revealed in a statement that Sanders had received training on nondiscrimination policies and establishment clause requirements after his hiring.
But that hasn’t changed him.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
editor's pick
latest video
Sports News To You
Subscribe to receive daily sports scores, hot takes, and breaking news!