Deion Sanders Says NIL Went Wrong With Collectives, Mentions He Always Has Security Because Of Death Threats

Deion Sanders captivated the college football world for half of the 2023 season, leading to an incredible uptick in exposure for the Colorado football program. But one of the most talked about aspects of college athletics right now centers around NIL, and Sanders is already sick of what he perceives to be one of the biggest problems in the sport, NIL collectives. 

In a world where Deion Sanders is polarizing on every level, whether it's commercials or roaming the sidelines as the Colorado football coach, NIL has been a sore subject for plenty of coaches in the game and Sanders is not afraid to call it like he sees it. 

Now, the question is whether you believe him or not when he says NIL is not a major factor in why players have decided to transfer or sign with Colorado. 

You can now call him ‘Professor Sanders’ or ‘Professor Prime’, as the Buffs head coach has taken on the role of teaching a class at Colorado, as a guest lecturer for the school. 

In one of his first days as ‘Professor’, the topic of NIL was a hot-button issue that members of the class wanted to get the opinion of Deion Sanders on. 

Not one to shy away from the topic, Sanders decided to go all-in on how NIL Collectives are ruining the current college athletics system. 

"NIL is not really what you think it is. All these kids are not getting NIL," Deion Sanders told the class. "These kids are getting collectives.  "Collectives, if we took an offering up in this classroom, we passed the bucket like the church and you put this collection plate, and you put your collective in and then \we say, 'You know what, we've got 10 players up here, let's divide that. That player right there should get $10, that player right there should get $20.' That's a collective."

Deion Sanders Makes It Clear That CEOs Don't Want To Invest In Unknowns

"NIL is name, image and likeness. Since I've got time today, I want you to tell me how many players in college that you've seen on commercials. I got time today, let's go. How many?"

This led to a few of the students naming Shilo Sanders, Travis Hunter, Sheduer Sanders, Caleb Williams, Caitlin Calrk and Bo Nix. Sanders then tried to make a point that what we're seeing is not NIL, which is hard to disagree with. 

"This ain't NIL," Deion Sanders told the class. "That's all you've seen. All these college athletes, and you named five. This is not NIL, this is not the day of NIL. That's what it is supposed to be, but it's collectives. That's where it went wrong, instead of staying right."

It was after this answer that Sanders wanted input from his class, asking each one of them how many athletes they've seen on commercials this past year, seemingly trying to point out that NIL is not being used the way it should be, in his eyes. 

But in terms of having CEO's of major companies invest in athletes that they have no clue about off the field, this is where NIL has gone astray, according to Deion Sanders. 

"I wish it was NIL, so the kids could earn it. Because now you gotta ball for a CEO to invest in you," Sanders told the class. "You think I'm going to have, let's say a hundred-million-dollar company, and I'm going to invest in a college kid that I don't know nothing about and he could be a deer in the headlights or get drunk after the game and now my company brand is on him? There's no way. So you kind of wait to those kids prove to you that they can handle the light, can handle the stage, can handle the opportunity, then you may afford to give them that.

"But we're talking about collectives, and I'm sick of everybody in the country talking about NIL. It's not NIL."

Sanders Brings Security Wherever He Goes Due To Death Threats

Whether it be on Amazon Prime for his docuseries or starring in commercials that are plastered all over television, Deion Sanders has become a household name. So, this usually comes with scrutiny and folks who try and get to the Colorado head coach, from a celebrity standpoint. 

This has led to Deion Sanders traveling with an officer everywhere he goes. During the class with ‘Professor Prime’, his security introduced himself as Officer Rose. He has been with Deion Sanders since his days at Jackson State, usually dressing in a western-looking vest on the field or behind the scenes with the Colorado coach. 

So when he was introduced to the class, it caught some of the students off-guard. 

"We get death threats, so you know we have to bring security. I'm dead serious too, I'm not lying," Sanders pointed out. 

Whether or not he's worried about threats is a whole different story, but Deion Sanders is not afraid to call this new era of college athletics like he sees it. It's whether you believe they are actually playing the game as well. That is the question.