A recent article from The Athletic revisited the transfers that occurred within Deion Sanders’ Colorado football program last year.
One of the former players who transferred out, Xavier Smith, expressed his frustration with Sanders, stating that he destroyed players’ confidence and could have handled things with more compassion.
Ion even remember him tbh. Bro had to be very mid at best. https://t.co/qwK48Ys0Et
— Shedeur Sanders (@ShedeurSanders) April 30, 2024
Smith eventually transferred to Austin Peay.
In response to Smith’s comments, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders criticized his former teammate, calling him “very mid” on social media.
Smith had criticized Deion Sanders for his handling of the situation and claimed that the coach told him to transfer and suggested he would be wasting a year by staying.
Deion Sanders has been clear that he is revamping the program and will cut or advise players to transfer if they don’t fit his vision. This cutthroat approach has led to bitterness from former players.
That’s why we run our own media and control our own narrative https://t.co/7XVS4mWiTb
— Deion Sanders Jr (@DeionSandersJr) April 30, 2024
Shedeur Sanders’ response to the comments may not reflect well on the program.
This exchange between Shedeur Sanders and former Buffs DB Xavier Smith 😳
(via The Athletic) pic.twitter.com/SgBd5yrZ8M
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 30, 2024
The Athletic article followed up on the stories of former players who left the program, highlighting the impact it had on their college careers.
Xavier Smith believed Deion Sanders could have shown more compassion, while Shedeur Sanders and Deion Sanders Jr. defended their father against the criticism.
The Sanders family strongly disagrees with Smith’s account of the situation, while those on the other side still feel hurt.
Some of the reactions on Reddit include:
