Deion Sanders has a message for all the critics who are bashing the University of Colorado’s decision to retire both Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders’ numbers.
“If his last name wasn’t Sanders, we wouldn’t have this discussion,” Sanders said, according to The Associated Press. “We’re talking about Shedeur. We ain’t talking about nobody else.”
Deion and Buffaloes brass rankled some former Colorado football players after the program decided to make Shedeur and Hunter the fifth and sixth numbers retired in the program’s illustrious history. Their numbers will be retired before Colorado’s spring-football game Saturday.
Shedeur Sanders & Travis Hunter Will Join 4 Other Players With Retired Numbers in the Colorado Rafters
Hunter’s No. 12 and Shedeur Sanders’ No. 2 will join Byron White (No. 24), Jo Romig (No. 67), Bobby Anderson (No. 11) and Rashaan Salaam (No. 19) in the Colorado rafters. According to USA Today, Anderson and White’s numbers were also retired at the spring game after each’s final season playing for the Buffaloes.
Still, it isn’t that Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and Shedeur Sanders, the Big 12 offensive player of the year and a likely first-round pick, are unworthy of the accolades but the timing of their jersey retirement.
Hunter and Shedeur just completed their final seasons in Boulder, and the perception is each cut the line ahead of others who have been waiting for the honor — especially players from the 1990 team, which won the school’s lone national championship in football.
“If the players from the National Champ team have not received such an honor, by default, this action dismisses, diminishes & for a new generation of CU fans erases their greatness,” said Chad Brown, a member of the 1990 team and former NFL linebacker on X (formerly Twitter). ” I would never minimize the impact of #2 or #12, they are amazing players. But this timing is poor.
“The past matters. Never want to take away from anything #2 or #12 have done. Amazing players. But to act as if (Colorado football) was invented 3 years ago ignores the greatness in the past & the players that produced that greatness.”
Shedeur Sanders’ Jersey Retirement Is Facing the Most Backlash
Most of the backlash has been against the retirement of Shedeur’s No. 2, since Hunter completed one of the most impressive seasons in college-football history by playing both ways and becoming only Colorado’s second Heisman winner — with Salaam as the other.
“The vitriol from former players regarding CU retiring #2 is loud,” Tyler Polumbus, a former NFL and Colorado offensive lineman, posted on X on Tuesday. “I think most (including myself) believe he deserves the honor…eventually… Bypassing the line, bypassing #2 Deon Figures doesn’t make sense.
“Soo many all time greats that deserve the honor and have waited their turn. Why so fast? Zero waiting period? Feels like the first blunder of the Coach Prime era that has upset alumni.”
The university has backed the jersey retirements, and Sanders said this is the first time he has ever seen this much scrutiny over a celebration of former players.
“This is the first time I ever seen it sore,” Deion Sanders said. “I don’t know if you know it, but I think every jersey I darn near played in is retired. So I’m pretty familiar with this. It’s never been sore.
Deion Sanders Fires Back at Jersey Retirement Critics