It has been a groundbreaking year for college football. Judge Claudia Wilken gave the green light to the NCAA vs House settlement for better or worse. And it has invited a whirlwind of polarized opinions from the CFB royalty. Coach Prime wasted no time jumping into the conversation. While the iron was still hot, he made headlines by calling for a salary cap in college football. No wonder it stirred the pot.
“I wish there was a cap,” Sanders said. “Like, the top-of-the-line player makes this, and if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not going to make that. That’s what the NFL does.” True to form, Deion spoke his mind, and followed up with another strong opinion. This time targeting uniform violation in CFB. “We’ve got guys in biker shorts. That makes me sick; I think there should be a fine implemented for that stuff,” he said. Well, Sir Prime can talk his talk, but not everyone’s ready to walk his way. His statement earned strong reactions from the athletic community, with QB Cam Newton and Urban Meyer giving it a thumbs down.
Football Forever shared a post, and created a poll for viewers. The caption read, “With college players getting paid, Sanders wants them to be disciplined and held accountable for not wearing equipment properly. Do you agree with Coach Prime?” And the fandom was not too eager to roll with Prime. Strong reactions followed suit, with fans putting out their opinions. “It’s not the 2000 anymore unc,” one said. While another counter-questioned with, “Wait unc. You said if we look good, we feel good. So, we play good right??”. Few called him out, stating him a ‘hypocrite.’ “His son literally wore these so-called ‘biker shorts,’” wrote one user. Following the statements at the SEC Media event, the opinion poll on Coach Prime’s NFL-style reform earned more than 70% disapproval (In the comments of the following post).
And for the record. Coach Prime is not the only CFB royalty, having a distaste for NIL-induced roster inconsistencies. Legendary coach Nick Saban holds the same view. “One school can’t spend $30 million for players while another school is spending $3 million.”But amid the flury of disapproval surrounding the rapid rise of NIL ventures, one voice stood out in sharp contrast to Sanders. And it didn’t come from the coaching world.
Cam Newton calls out Deion Sanders’ NIL hypocrisy
Undoubtedly, Deion Sanders’ controversial take was bound to turn heads. Not just college royalty, the NFL circuit also took note, and Panthers’ Cam Newton was not having it. Newton unapologetically questioned the timings of Coach Prime’s statements.“It may be the unpopular opinion. Yeah. But was Prime worried about this when his sons was there?” the former Auburn QB questioned on 4th&1 podcast. “I would say no; If somebody would have brokered a $1.7 million deal, he knew at the end of the day, it would have been fair,” he added.
Here, Newton is talking about Deion’s sons Shilo and Shedeur, who played for him at Jackson State and Colorado. Shilo bagged a $1 million deal while Sheduer raked in a $4.6 million contract at the Buffaloes, which dilutes Coach Prime’s argument. “It would have been what he would have deemed as a father to say,” Newton went on. “‘No, bro, we’re not giving you 30%. We going to give you 3% or we going to give you a flat fee.’ That’s what he would have did for his son.” But now, with both Silo and Sheduer’s departure to the NFL, Deion Sanders holds a different opinion.
Not just Newton, even Urban Meyer tossed his blunt opinion on Prime’s opinion on NIL. “I could care less. I mean, this is, I think, the 780th time we’ve talked about this. But it will never happen,” Meyer said on The Triple Podcast. “It will never happen because Colorado is not the same as Ohio State and Alabama, and big market cities that have alumni that are willing to do that.” Obviously, Meyer is not sold on college athletes getting peanuts for their hard toil on the turf.
Although Alabama is already struggling with the NIL, asking its alumni and fanbase to contribute. And while Kirby Smart did lose Jackson Cantwell to Miami, he edged out with a $2.5 million deal on the table. But does that mean the complete circuit must pay for that? Yes, there have been rampant allegations of “Pay-for-Play.” Nico Iamaleava’s fallout with Tennessee is one example. But Illini’s QB Luke Altmyer ditched $2 million NIL deal for Bret Bielema’s vision. So, yes, not every player is eying the cash factor. And football has a long history and tradition of team loyalty etched in its players. Nevertheless, the pot is still hot, tossing out fresh takes as the 2025 season rounds bout the corner.
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