Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders has long since held that he will have high standards for any athlete on his roster. Despite this already high standard, his latest quote seems like something straight out of Coach Carter.
Academic production has long since been a concern of many fans and parents, as numerous athletes famously neglect their academics in favor of more time on the field or having fun.
Coach Prime refuses to stand for this. In a recent video from Well Off Media, Sanders issued a blunt edict to his players about their earnings potential -- and how it can change not doing the right things in the classroom.
"I don't get involved in what you make… But when you stop going to class, now you're affecting me," Sanders prefaced before saying, "So we're going to affect your check. When I see a multitude of Fs and Ds, we're going to affect your check. Do we understand that?"
Essentially, Buffs players will have to perform well in school if they want any prayer of seeing the number they were promised on their check. This has proven controversial, as the idea of fining college students for performing poorly in classes is far from a popular one.
The main concern among critics is that the fear of being fined for poor performance could bolster the taking of much, much easier classes and majors among athletes, leading to less educated players on the team. Despite what their GPAs look like.
This stance takes a whole new meaning in the wake of Colorado's ending their NIL collective in favor of revenue sharing, a number the Buffs will have much more control over.
Whatever the case, Sanders’ opinion is clear. If Buffs athletes can keep their grades up, there won’t be a problem, but bad grades will now and forever mean a bad paycheck.