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Deion Sanders reportedly walks out of SWAC Media Day: ‘Don’t do that to me’
By Adam Spencer
Published:
There was some drama at SWAC Media Day on Tuesday, and it came via Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders.
Sanders was taking questions when Clarion Ledger reporter Nick Suss referred to him as “Deion.”
Reasonable thing to do when talking to another human being, right? Well, Sanders wasn’t having it. He went on a rant about being given the same respect as Alabama coach Nick Saban and then eventually walked out of the press conference (via the Clarion Ledger):
“You don’t call Nick Saban, ‘Nick.’ Don’t call me Deion,” Sanders told Nick Suss from the Clarion Ledger.
“If you call Nick (Saban), Nick, you’ll get cussed out on the spot, so don’t do that to me,” Sanders later added. “Treat me like Nick.”
Of course, many reporters were quick to tweet that they have called Saban “Nick” with no repercussions:
Besides the insanity of Deion demanding the same “respect” as Nick Saban (Lololololllllll), he is addressed as Nick at every press conference he’s ever done and he’s never yelled at anyone for it because it’s his name and and he’s not a complete psychopath
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 20, 2021
I’ve called every coach I’ve ever covered by his first name. They’re football coaches, not gods. We’re all adults. https://t.co/FETVEKQA8x
— Power Mizzou (@PowerMizzoucom) July 20, 2021
I don’t think that I’ve called him anything other than “Nick.” He hasn’t cussed me out.
— Barrett Sallee ?? (@BarrettSallee) July 20, 2021
Suss added that he always calls people by their first names, including Sanders as recently as January:
“When I interview people, I call them by their first name,” Suss said. “Whether it’s someone I’ve been working with for years or someone I’m talking to for the first time. This is true of the coaches and players on the Ole Miss beat, the coaches and players at Mississippi State and Southern Miss when I help out covering their teams and, as recently as January, even Sanders, too.”
Perhaps Deion forgot about that January meeting with Suss? We’ll see if he eventually issues an apology or not.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
