Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders tore into his own son Shilo’s performance following a tough loss to Big 12 rival Kansas State.
Shilo, who plays safety for the Buffs, had not played due to injury since a game against Nebraska in early September. The rust was rather evident. Prime saw it.
The Wildcats exposed some serious soft spots in Colorado’s run defense, racking up over 200 yards rushing on 33 attempts (excluding sacks and kneel-downs). Ground and pound led to a 31-28 victory.
Coach Prime didn’t hold back in assessing his own kid’s performance — proving he’s a coach first.
“I thought he played horrible,” he said. “I thought he was rusty.”
Deion with the blunt assessment of Shilo Sanders
It takes a coach the caliber of Deion Sanders to offer up a very blunt assessment of any player, really. The fact that he hammered his son Shilo is hilarious.
There is some merit to the criticism, of course.
Shilo, who managed seven tackles (6 solo), was notably outmaneuvered by Kansas State running back DJ Giddens, who racked up 182 yards on the ground.
Deion is clearly sending a message to his entire team. Unfortunately for Shilo, it’s at his expense. Coach is setting a high bar for accountability within his team; if his own son isn’t above reproach, you better believe the rest of the players aren’t!
Despite the personal connection, the message to Shilo and the rest of the team is clear: Performance on the field must meet expectations, regardless of family ties.
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Sanders family loves tossing people under the bus
The Sanders family – Deion included – love to throw shade and point fingers. While their arrogant attitudes can lend to team confidence, you have to wonder how often that attitude will cause issues with the team.
Shedeur Sanders, the Buffaloes’ quarterback, following their loss to Nebraska, spoke to the media and immediately threw his teammates under the bus — specifically, his offensive line — after the game.
As for Papa Sanders, you may recall Deion dumping ice water on late sports broadcaster Tim McCarver — repeatedly — when the latter criticized him for abandoning the Atlanta Braves in the middle of a playoff series to play for the Falcons.
McCarver, at the time, felt Sanders should have been focusing on the Braves’ playoff game instead of trying to make history by playing in an NFL and MLB game on the same day.
As the Buffaloes gear up for their next game, the spotlight on Shilo’s comeback and the team’s defensive strategy will be intense. And he owes that in part to his own father.
This article was originally posted by Bounding into Sports.