Colorado head coach Deion Sanders addressed the viral moment from his team’s postgame press conference last week, when he opened with roughly 10 seconds of unintelligible speech before saying “let’s go” and taking questions from reporters. He explained the moment during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
The clip spread quickly online, with people speculating that Sanders, 59, had been speaking in tongues. He confirmed that’s exactly what happened, and said it came after he had just finished chewing out his team despite a 52-21 win over Weber State.
“I had just come from addressing the team, and I lit them up, so I had to calm down,” Sanders said Tuesday. “And the only way I know how to calm down is to pray in the spirit. So, you know, it’s not a gimmick. There’s not a ‘look at me.’ No. No. That’s real.”
Sanders said this wasn’t a one-time occurrence. He said he’s used the same practice before surgery and in other high-pressure moments throughout his career.
“That’s what I do,” Sanders said. “And I’ve done that everywhere I’ve been. And we’ve got evidence. So there’s no game. There’s no gimmick. I love the Lord with all my heart, and I’m not scared to speak it in front of anybody, anywhere, at any time. But it’s not a planned type of thing.”
Colorado is off to a 2-0 start in Sanders’ fourth season leading the program, after opening the year with a 14-13 win over Georgia Tech. The Buffaloes are looking to rebound from a 3-9 season a year ago.
