Contrary to common practice, University of Colorado head coach Deion “Prime Time” Sanders condones teammates fighting during practice. Sanders, an NFL Hall of Famer who also played professional baseball, has found a way to combine his competitiveness as a former player into a motivational coaching tactic by allowing players to fight in practice.
Sanders went as far as saying he feels that players fighting each other at practice is a “great thing” for the team and that he keeps track of who wins and loses each fight that occurs during a recent appearance on The Colorado Football Coaches Show.
“We had a great week of practice. We had a couple of fights, which I like,” Sanders said. He went on to say that if you start a fight in practice, you better be prepared to finish it because he isn’t stepping in to break it up: “Some guys fight hoping for the break up. No, we’re letting you go. I love it,” Sanders added.
It’s clear that Sanders is not your ordinary coach; this is just the most recent example. He encourages his players to embrace adversity and do what they need to do to overcome it, even if that means fighting their teammates in practice.
In a locker room with so many different people and personalities, it is natural for some to disagree and butt heads. Practice is the time to acknowledge those differences and look past them for the good of the team; unfortunately, it can lead to physical altercations at times. At the end of the day, they are all teammates who need to respect one another.
