Deion Sanders discusses Shedeur Sanders injury, decision to sit out
In the Colorado Buffaloes final game of the season, they were without star quarterback Shedeur Sanders. In what contest, the Buffaloes came up short on the road against Utah, falling 23-16. After the game, in the postgame press conference, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders addressed the absence of his starting quarterback and son and revealed additional information about his status.
“Shedeur is hurt. I don’t know about a procedure; Shedeur has been hurting for a while. And just prolonging that, and prolonging, and prolonging that. You guys understand what time it is,” said Sanders.
This season provided a ton of firsts for Sanders as Colorado’s head coach. But unexpectedly, it provided a first time experience he wasn’t particularly fond of. According to the Buffaloes headman, Saturday’s contest against Utah was the first time he coached without Shedeur Sanders playing. That experience was a difficult one for him.
“Ironically, that was my first time playing without my son, Shedeur. I played without Shilo [Sanders] a few times because he went on to South Carolina. But that was my first time that I was available, and he wasn’t. He played when I was in the hospital for a month in Jackson, but that was my first time playing without him. And it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy; picturing him and understanding him after we take our walk and now it’s time to get down. That wasn’t easy at all. [Ryan] Staub did a wonderful job.”
It is not the end to the season that Sanders and Colorado envisioned at the start of the year. Still, the year can be considered a success despite the 4-8 finish. Last year, the Buffaloes finished a lowly 1-11 and were one of, if not the worst, Power-5 programs in the country.
Why Sanders didn’t play in Colorado finale vs. Utah
Sanders exited the field early in Colorado’s 56-14 loss to the Washington State Cougars with a hand injury. It was initially said he was held out of the remainder of the game as a precaution. But given the Buffaloes’ head coach’s statements above, the situation surrounding Sanders’s health might be more concerning than originally believed.
After the loss in Pullman, though, Deion Sanders also discredited any idea that the program would be shutting down Shedeur just because they could.
“Shedeur is not that kind of player that he wants to shut down,” Deion Sanders said. “He wants to finish with his teammates. I’m pretty sure. I haven’t talked to him about it. But I’m pretty sure he wants to.”
Although Colorado left the spotlight over the past few weeks, Sanders remained one of the sport’s larger stories of the season. In his 11 games as a Buffalo, he threw for over 3,200 yards and totaled 31 touchdowns. His official yardage on the season of 3,230 yards also broke the school’s single season record – one that Sefo Liufau had held since 2014 – against the Cougars.