Colorado head coach Deion Sanders says a claim that he offered $50,000 to critics to keep them quiet about him was nothing more than a joke, taken out of context.
The claim came from Christopher Neely, a YouTube content creator known as “Uncle Neely,” who is a longtime associate of Sanders. In a video from an online roundtable program, Neely said Sanders had told critics he’d pay them to stop talking about him.
“For the most part, the people that attack him wouldn’t be making the money they were making if he wasn’t here to attack,” Neely said. “Which is why he told some of them, ‘Hey man, let’s just do this. I give you $50,000 to not mention my name for a year.’ And ain’t nobody took the deal yet.”
When reporters asked Sanders about the alleged offer during his weekly news conference Tuesday, he appeared unfamiliar with the specific framing until Neely, who was in the room, filled him in.
“Oh no, no, no! I think you misinterpreted that,” Sanders said. “I said, like some of y’all in here sitting right now, ‘I would love to give you money and not mention my name, and I want to see how far that goes.’ … That’s what we were saying. Some people live on your name.”
Sanders said he’s dealt with criticism for years, going back to his NFL playing days, and it hasn’t let up since he moved into coaching.
“I would never offer a man money. I don’t give a darn what you say about me,” Sanders said. “That was really a joke about someone prospering off of your name and your brand. It’s not in my heart to not like anybody in this room. I may not like some things you may do or say, but I don’t know you enough to form that opinion. This is normalcy because I’m just different. I’m unapologetic about things I say and how I live my life.”
The comments land amid a rough stretch for Sanders’ program. Now in his fourth season at Colorado after building his reputation at Jackson State, Sanders raised the Buffaloes’ national profile fast, winning nine games and reaching a bowl game in his second year on the job.
That momentum has stalled. Colorado finished the 2025 season 3-9. This year the team opened 2-0 before losing five straight games. The Buffaloes play Kansas State on Saturday.
