'Little surprise' Deion Sanders was in attendance at Birmingham Stallions-Arlington Renegades UFL opener

Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari labeled Deion Sanders' appearance at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the UFL's first-ever game between the two-time defending USFL champion Birmingham Stallions and the defending XFL champion Arlington Renegades as being unsurprising due to Coach Prime's longstanding friendship with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson; the UFL's co-owner and head spokesperson.

"Sanders and The Rock are longtime friends, so it comes as little surprise that Coach Prime was on hand Saturday to support Johnson's venture," Chiari prefaced before saying, "The Rock spoke to Sanders' players when he was coaching at Jackson State in 2022, and he did the same last season after Sanders made the move to Colorado."

Sanders was rocking a gold whistle chain that the announce team, Curt Menefee, former Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt, and sideline reporter Brock Huard, couldn't help but talk about -- jokingly asking Coach Prime whether he bought that as is or if he got it custom-ordered.

He obviously got it custom-ordered, for those not catching the joke.

Deion Sanders joined by Troy Aikman in attendance for UFL's star-studded Stallions-Renegades opener

Sanders wasn't the only former Dallas Cowboys superstar in attendance at the UFL's opening game. Former Cowboys star quarterback Troy Aikman was also present in the Metroplex to see the battle for spring supremacy between the two defending champions of the two leagues that merged to form the new super-league.

Sanders, whose sons Shedeur and Shilo attended Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, has been active in the Cowboys' affairs this offseason. As Chiari pointed out, he was at the Stallions-Renegades game to support The Rock, not continue questioning what Jerry Jones' franchise is doing this offseason.

As Sanders recognized, the UFL is a great opportunity for pros to springboard back into the NFL, so don't be surprised if you see some of his Buffs playing spring ball for The Rock's league in the future.