Deion Sanders, the former NFL star turned college football coach, has come under fire from one of his ex-players, Xavier Smith, in a recent interview with The Athletic in April 2024.
Smith, a talented player from Atlanta, Georgia, who once played for the Colorado Buffaloes under Sanders’ coaching, had some critical words to say about his former coach.
Smith mentioned that Sanders had advised him to transfer from the team, and when he didn’t, he felt that his experience with Sanders was less than satisfactory, ultimately leading to his decision to transfer to another university. Smith expressed his disappointment in Sanders, stating that the coach did not make an effort to get to know him and that his coaching style often crushed players’ confidence.
Sanders, known for his successful career in the NFL and MLB, has been coaching at the University of Colorado Boulder since leaving Jackson State University in 2022. Despite the criticism from Smith, Sanders’ son and former teammate of Smith, Shedeur, defended his father’s coaching methods in a tweet.
The controversy surrounding Sanders and Smith’s comments has sparked a debate among fans and analysts, with some questioning Sanders’ coaching style and others defending his approach to the game.
