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WEATHER ALERT

DEION SANDERS

New admission rules could spark 'Prime Time' at Colorado

As much as facilities, Folsom Field or the allure of trying to pull off a seemingly impossible rebuild, it was likely the fine print that brought Deion Sanders to Colorado. College football's most electric coaching candidate, the Hall of Fame player now known as “Coach Prime,” almost certainly wouldn't have taken his talents to Boulder without a thorough review and rewriting of admissions rules at Colorado, an area in which the Buffs struggled to adapt to the new realities of the transfer portal. In the new landscape of college football, players can move from school to school via the portal without having to sit out one season.

news.yahoo.com

Calling Deion Sanders a sellout ignores the growing role of clout-chasing in college sports

And I saw Jackson State doing just that when it hired Deion Sanders. Yet it was always going to be close to impossible to keep Sanders at Jackson State if he consistently won. Jackson State was arguably chasing some clout of its own when it hired Deion in the first place. If Sanders was a sellout, it was only in one sense: Jackson State football games routinely sold out during his tenure, shattering attendance records for the program. Jabari M. Evans, Assistant Professor of Race and Media, University of South CarolinaThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

thewestsidegazette.com

NC Central Beats Jackson State In Deion Sanders’ Final Game

Tight end Hayden Hagler’s drop on third down from the 1 set up an incompletion by Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders to end the game. Jackson State (12-1) was denied its bid for the first undefeated season in school history. Sanders quickly showed he also boasts dual-threat skills as Jackson State outscored North Carolina Central 21-7 the remainder of the half. Tight end Kyle Morgan took the snap on the fake punt and ran 43 yards to the Jackson State 24. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell attended the game in support of his nephew, Jackson State sophomore defensive lineman Charlton “Charlie” Goodell.

thewestsidegazette.com

Super Bowl could be farewell for several pending free agents

Kansas City and Tampa Bay have several starters, including some notable pass catchers, scheduled to become free agents next month. So the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and Buccaneers will serve as a farewell for several players with their current team. Brown signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with Tampa in late October and has been a model citizen since. He has 45 receptions for 623 yards and seven touchdowns after signing a one-year, $9 million deal. He turned 34 last month and might be willing to sign another one-year deal to stay in Tampa.

Lil Wayne, Kodak Black get clemency; Joe Exotic does not

President Donald Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 140 people in a last-minute clemency flurry after midnight on Wednesday, a list that included rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black. — Rapper Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was given a full pardon. In the pardon, Lil Wayne was praised for his “commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks.” Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders backed the pardon. Lil Wayne is one of the seminal figures in rap in the last two decades, selling more than 20 million albums in the U.S. since releasing his debut in 1999. Supporters included Gucci Mane, Lil Pump, Lil Yachty, and athletes Lamar Jackson and Jack Brewer.

Johnstone, 2-time WS champ and popular prankster, dies at 74

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 1981, file photo, Los Angeles Dodgers batter Jay Johnstone hits a two-run home run in the sixth inning off New York Yankees relief pitcher Ron Davis in the World Series in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/File)LOS ANGELES – Jay Johnstone, who won World Series championships as a versatile outfielder with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers while being baseball’s merry prankster, has died. He died last Saturday of complications from COVID-19 and also had suffered from dementia in recent years, according to his daughter Mary Jayne Sarah Johnstone. In the 1981 World Series, Johnstone had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in Game 4 that rallied the Dodgers to an 8-7 win over the Yankees. Besides his daughter, he is survived by his wife of 52 years, Mary Jayne Johnstone, and son-in-law Ryan Dudasik.

New Magnolia State coaches prepare for challenging debuts

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, file photo, Lane Kiffin speaks to Mississippi fans after being announced as the new head football coach during a introductory press conference in Oxford, Miss. In attendance were his children, daughters Presley Kiffin, 13, left, Landry Kiffin, 15, second from left, and son Knox Kiffin, 10. Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. But they drew huge challenges for their debuts, with the Bulldogs visiting defending national champion and No. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

New Magnolia State coaches prepare for challenging debuts

Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. Mike Leach expected to start his first season at Mississippi State versus New Mexico. Instead, both coaches — and their respective offenses — will encounter stiffer challenges in their Magnolia State debuts. 5 Florida and ex-Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen as two-touchdown underdogs. Before Deion Sanders made a prime-time splash when he was hired by Jackson State on Monday; Leach and Kiffin were splashy hires in the state.

‘Match made in heaven’: Deion Sanders to coach Jackson State

Jackson State’s new football coach then stated “I believe” many times about what he envisions happening on and off the field. It’s a match made in heaven.”Currently the offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian School-Cedar Hill in Texas, Sanders is taking his first head coaching job. “Coach Prime” later opened a blue blazer lined with the JSU logo to much applause. Acting Jackson State President Thomas Hudson called the hiring “the grace of God” and cited the school's football history in landing Sanders. Sanders also played nine seasons with four clubs in Major League Baseball, appearing in the 1992 World Series with the Atlanta Braves.

Truex ends 2020 winless skid with victory at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. Martin Truex Jr. cruised down the stretch and won his first NASCAR Cup race of the season on Wednesday night in the first race under the lights at Martinsville Speedway. Truex won the Martinsville grandfather clock on the paperclip-shaped track at just 0.526 miles. Already outspoken on social causes in NASCAR, Wallace denounced the flag and his message spread throughout sports. Boston tweeted questions about the race and seemed to enjoy the action at Martinsville: Do yall be pinned to the TV. Martinsville capped a stretch of seven straight Cup races since it resumed without fans at the track.

Deion Sanders candidate to become Florida State head coach?

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. - Arguably the greatest former Florida State football player in program history is reportedly being considered to succeed Willie Taggart as head coach. Former Florida State and NFL cornerback Deion Sanders has emerged as a candidate for the vacant position, NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport said Thursday night on Twitter, citing sources. NFL Network analyst and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has emerged as a candidate for the Florida St. head coaching job, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. While several prominent names, including retired Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, have been floated around regarding the Florida State job, Sanders is perhaps the most surprising. Heck, even former Florida State quarterback and current Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill (90-84 in 14 seasons) or recently unretired 68-year-old head coach Mack Brown (who played at Florida State and won a national title at Texas before returning to North Carolina this season) seem more viable.