Coach Prime exposes the dark side of fame: Constant death threats force him to change daily routine

Deion Sanders has spent decades living comfortably in the spotlight, but the Colorado coach says the attention surrounding him now comes with a darker reality as he has to consider his personal safety almost everywhere he goes.

Asked how fans should approach him around Boulder, Sanders initially answered with a joke. “Not hug you,” he said. Then he explained why.

“We get death threats every week,” Sanders said. “We had some guy claiming some crazy stuff, and I think they apprehended him. I think he’s incarcerated right now. But so, you got to be careful on that side.”

Sanders didn't identify the person he referenced or provide additional details about the alleged threat. His comments nevertheless offered a glimpse into the precautions that have become part of his life as one of college football’s most recognizable figures.

Threat level changed his daily routine

The concerns aren't new. Earlier this year, Colorado security chief Michael Rhodes addressed Buffaloes players directly about the risks surrounding Sanders and warned them not to allow strangers into restricted areas.

“Don’t let somebody coerce you into scanning them up on the floor, because everybody’s trying to get to Coach Prime,” Rhodes said. “Those people that are trying to get to them, not all of them have good intentions.”

Sanders then asked how many death threats Rhodes believed he received on an average day. “About five every day,” Rhodes replied.

That level of concern has affected how Sanders moves outside the football facility as well.

“I have a girl with me oftentimes, or someone in the family,” Sanders said. “You want to be careful, but you want to be kind. So I try my best to blend the two, you know, but not that accessible.”

The balancing act is complicated because Sanders still wants to acknowledge supporters without making himself unnecessarily vulnerable.

Sanders said fans can make that easier by recognizing when an approach is appropriate.

He pointed to situations such as eating at a restaurant with family, where a simple gesture from across the room can mean more than someone walking directly to his table.

A respectful “head tilt,” Sanders said, can be enough. His comments also echoed remarks he made earlier this year when discussing why he believes he attracts such intense hostility.

“Why? I’m a black man making it happen, making things move, making all that happen,” Sanders said at the time. “So we have stuff that’s real.”

The security presence around Sanders has followed him from Jackson State to Colorado, with law enforcement involved when threats are considered credible.

None of that has stopped him from remaining one of the most accessible and visible coaches in the sport, but it has changed the terms of that visibility.

Sanders still wants to interact with fans. He just wants them to understand that behind the celebrity, the security concerns aren't theoretical.