Colorado quarterback Shadeur Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, shares the best advice he’s received from his dad, the biggest misconceptions about his family and discusses his future life goals.
Father's Day is special for the Sanders family.
Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, has five children -- including two sons who currently play college football for him at the University of Colorado (Shilo, 24, and Shedeur, 22).
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The former NFL star and current Buffs head coach has had a lasting impact on his children, including Shedeur, who has pro aspirations.
"He taught me how the world works, really," Shedeur Sanders said in an interview with NBC. "Being his son, and him being there for me, to be able to ask any question to him. He did everything I want to do. But I always play with him like I'm going to do it better. But he did everything I want to do, so it's a blessing to have a man like him in my corner."
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The young quarterback revealed the best piece of advice that he's received from his father, who is always on his side.
"You want to have longevity in life," Sanders said when asked what his father has taught him. "You don't want to just be hot right now. You want to be able to have things going long-term in life. Make those decisions financially, spiritually and mentally.
"The decisions that he made for us to be in this position that we're in now is unbelievable, it's surreal."
NCAAF
While many people are fans of the Sanders family, there are also detractors who are critical of the way they operate. According to Shedeur, the biggest misconception that people have about his family is that they are shortsighted.
"What they get wrong about all of us in the Sanders family is that we think through everything," Sanders said. "We're not just making impulsive decisions. We have long-term decisions, long-term plans and everything is thought out. We're always in full control of everything, and not letting any outside things affect our decisions."
While Shedeur still has at least one more season left playing for his father in Colorado, he's already beginning to plan ahead. He currently projects as a first-round pick in the 2025 draft -- but he wants his impact to go beyond the gridiron.
"To really be the greatest quarterback ever," Sanders said when asked about his goals. "And to do stuff in a different way than the traditional way. I came from an HBCU (Jackson State) to a Power Five (Colorado). My goal is to really just be somebody that every kid can relate to -- because they saw my whole journey, they've seen everything and I'm not going to ever lie to anybody and I'm a genuine person. So, that's my main thing, is just being a great human being first and just being an inspiration to kids."
