Colorado players feel betrayed: Deion Sanders’ leadership under scrutiny
Deion Sanders, the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, made waves with his unprecedented approach to roster management. In his first five months on the job, he replaced a staggering 52 scholarship players, leaving many holdovers feeling betrayed and resentful.
One player who felt the sting of Sanders’ roster overhaul was Xavier Smith, a redshirt freshman defensive back. Despite playing in the spring game, Smith was ultimately cut from the team and ended up transferring to Austin Peay. Speaking to the Associated Press, he expressed his disappointment with the situation, saying: “All I wanted was a coach to be honest with me and give me an opportunity.”
But rather than dwell on the setback, Smith used it as motivation. He refused to let Sanders’ decision define him: “Who are you to tell me that I’m not good enough to play here? So it’s just proving people wrong and proving to myself and my family that I am who I say I am and that I’m going to do what I say I’m going to do.”
Smith is not alone in feeling betrayed by Sanders’ actions. Offensive lineman Luke Eckardt also found himself on the chopping block despite working hard during winter workouts and spring practice. Eckardt, who ended up at a top junior college program, expressed his frustration with the coaching staff, particularly Sanders.
He questioned whether the head coach even knew his name, saying: “All my resentment is just for the leadership and the coaches and all that. I don’t have any anger toward the team.”
Eckardt’s parents were shocked when their son called to tell them he had been released from the team. They believed that Sanders had not honored his word and accused him of lying in his speech to players. Anne Eckardt, Luke’s mother, said, “There was nothing about ‘put the work in but at some point we’re probably going to get rid of you.’ It was a harsh message at the first meeting.”
While Eckardt has found new opportunities at a top junior college and has offers from other schools, he still wishes that Sanders had handled things differently. He believed that if Sanders had let them go last December, it would have given them more time to find new opportunities instead of going through a “charade” and being cut after the spring game.
