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He’s gone: Deion Sanders abruptly exits SWAC Media Days after being called by first name
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Deion Sanders has a flair for the dramatic. In case you had forgotten that, “Prime Time” provided another example during SWAC Media Days on Tuesday.
Sanders, who is the head coach at Jackson State University, abruptly left the event after being called by his first name. Not to poke the fire, but that’s a pretty standard practice at these events.
“You don’t call Nick Saban, ‘Nick,'” Sanders told Nick Suss of the Clarion Ledger, who apparently frustrated the head coach by using his first name. “Don’t call me Deion.
“If you call Nick, ‘Nick,’ you’ll get cussed out on the spot, so don’t do that to me. Treat me like Nick.”
Some breaking news: reporters actually do refer to Saban as, “Nick” when asking questions or interacting with the Alabama head coach. That applies to pretty much everyone else, too.
“When I interview people, I call them by their first name,” Suss said about the situation. “Whether it’s someone I’ve been working with for years or someone I’m talking to for the first time. This is true of the coaches and players on the Ole Miss beat, the coaches and players at Mississippi State and Southern Miss when I help out covering their teams and, as recently as January, even Sanders, too.”
Apparently if a reporter tries to do that again — you know, their job — Sanders could might just exit the stage.
Jackson State ended last football season with a 4-3 record. The team started off winning its first three games under Sanders before drooping three of the final four contests. The Tigers open the year against Florida A&M.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB