Deion Sanders’ New Rules for Colorado Players Come with Hefty Fines, But Are They Fair?
Deion Sanders was arguably one of the most prolific NFL players during his time, earning two Super Bowl rings, eight Pro-Bowl appearances, and an NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. Now, in recent years, Sanders is proving he’s also quite the force from the sidelines in a head coaching role, completely revitalizing the Jackson State football program and making his undeniable impression on University of Colorado football.
With that being said, and despite Colorado making improvements in terms of the number of games they win each season, Sanders still sees plenty of room for improvement, especially if the school has visions of one day capturing a national championship title. Using his years of experience playing and coaching, Sanders has decided discipline must play a key role in taking Colorado to the next level. As such, he is rolling out a new slate of rules for his players to follow, which come with hefty fines should they violate them.
What Are the New Rules Deion Sanders Is Rolling Out for University of Colorado Players?
During a January team meeting, Sanders shared with his players new rules to guide team conduct, and the corresponding fines for each of them should they be violated. Here they are, according to CBS Sports:
- Late to practice: $500
- No show to practice: $2,500
- Late to meeting or film session: $400
- No show to meeting or film session: $2,000
- Late to strength and conditioning workout: $1,000
- No show to strength and conditioning workout: $1,500
- Late to treatment: $1,000
- No show for treatment: $1,500
- Violation of team rules: $1,000-$2,500 (based on severity)
- Public or social media misconduct: $2,500-$5,000 (based on severity)
Additionally, Sanders made it clear to his college roster that he doesn’t want to see players wearing apparel from other teams in “his building,” likening the action to someone’s girlfriend wearing items from her ex-boyfriend. Plus, because Sanders wants the undivided attention from his players when providing instruction, he doesn’t want “cell phones, food, or drinks” in his team meeting rooms.
Are Deion Sanders’ New Rules and Fines Too Harsh?
At first glance, the idea of college students paying thousands of dollars in team fines sounds a bit jarring. However, in a day and age where NIL allows college athletes to earn compensation from endorsements, sponsorships, and more, the fines don’t sound like they’re completely out of line.
Less than a year ago, ESPN put together some estimates for what players from power 4 programs (from the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12) potentially earn in NIL money. Starting linebackers might earn between $200,000-$500,000, while quarterbacks in these conferences could earn anywhere from $1-2 million.
Putting a microscope on the Colorado program in particular,Sports Illustrated released some NIL numbers for players on last year’s roster. According to the publication, the highest earners on the team were “Offensive lineman Jordan Seaton ($1.9 million), quarterback Julian Lewis ($1.1 million), and freshman lineman Carde Smith ($111,000).” While the rest of the NIL earnings for the team last year aren’t listed, it stands to reason that a number of the players were earning what would be livable salaries in many states. So, they would have been able to afford paying Sanders’ new fines.
All things considered, Sanders' new rules and fines seem completely within the range of acceptability. Heck, they may even press upon players to take responsibility and show some more discipline.
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