Deion Sanders and his son Shedeur have been through a lot, especially in the tense weeks leading up to the NFL Draft. What should’ve been a time of celebration quickly turned sour. False reports and misleading narratives flooded in, damaging Shedeur’s draft stock. Once seen as a top pick, he became the center of harsh speculation.
Deion didn’t stay quiet. He spoke out, expressing his frustration and revealing just how deeply the media storm had affected his family. Asante Samuel noticed and revealed more than what Deion Sanders said.
Concern for Coach Prime’s Well-Being
Asante Samuel recently opened up about a conversation he had with Coach Prime, and it left him seriously concerned. While they were discussing the wave of criticism targeting Shedeur Sanders, Samuel noticed something unusual. Coach Prime didn’t seem like himself.
“Ya’ll didn’t realize Coach Prime was stressed out, man…And he’s not looking like the usual Coach Prime,” Samuel said.
That moment stuck with him. Samuel even asked if Coach Prime had been fasting, genuinely worried about how different he looked. The energy, the spark, the confidence that usually defines Deion Sanders just wasn’t there.
For someone like Samuel, who’s been in the game and knows what stress looks like, it was a sobering realization that Coach Prime is carrying more than most can see.
A Warning to Critics and the Media
Asante Samuel went further than just expressing concern for Coach Prime’s well-being. He issued a strong message to the critics, commentators, and media personalities fueling the negativity.
According to Samuel, there’s a line between fair criticism and damaging hate, and lately, that line has been crossed. “It’s cool to criticize,” he said. “But sometimes, sometimes they take things too far.”
He called out the toxic cycle of hot takes and how people rush to comment on trending topics without stopping to consider the real-life impact.
“I think we get caught up in the moment too much, trying to have the hot takes when it’s a popular topic, without any means to justify our comments,” Samuel explained.
The damage, he says, runs deeper than most are willing to acknowledge.
“If you realize how bad you’ve hurt Coach Prime, you’ll retract your statement… If you realize how much stress you caused him, you’ll retract your statement.”
This isn’t just sports, it’s personal. Samuel wants people to pause before they speak. Some things cut deeper than headlines. And Coach Prime is human, too.