On Saturday, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter saw their names placed in the Colorado ring of honor for the first time.
While the internet had a bit of a field day clowning the program for retiring Sanders’ jersey, head coach Deion Sanders pushed back at some of the outside noise and chose to honor his stars.
“I’m not gonna wait 20 years down the street, then bring you back when you’re limping, you can barely walk, or because some tragedy happens to recognize your greatness and what you contributed to this program,” Sanders said. “So I’m thankful that Rick [George] shot a shot and moved on to what we all know was inevitable in due time.”
“The time frame, nobody’s going to be happy with,” Sanders continued. “Somebody’s always going to have something to say. But the way we are right now, we’re a ‘now’ generation. You guys are ‘now’ people, and this is a ‘now’ time. And those guys deserve what they deserve right now. So I’m proud of them.”
While Hunter’s inclusion received significantly less backlash due to winning the Heisman Trophy, many in the world of sports called out the Buffaloes for retiring a quarterback’s number that finished with an overall record just one game above .500 (13-12).
That said, he does hold a significant number of program single-season records, including passing yards, completions, attempts, touchdowns, completion percentage, and QBR (quarterback rating).
Sanders finished his thoughts by saying, “I saw them, and I looked in both their eyes. I know they were pleased, they were thankful, and they were proud. And that means a lot to me. I’m one of those types of guys who I’m going to tell you how I feel right off the rip. You know? I’m not gonna really wait, so I’ll give you your flowers now.”
