Deion Sanders, a legendary player in both professional football and baseball, has put God first since being named head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team. That has made him the target of the atheist Freedom From Religion Foundation.
The group accused Sanders of “inappropriate and unconstitutional actions” in a letter to the university.
“It is our understanding that on December 20, 2022, a staff member led other staff members in a Christian prayer to start an official meeting,” the letter said. “More egregiously, on January 16, 2023, Coach Sanders directed a staff member to lead players and coaches in Christian prayer before a team meeting.”
The organization provided a purported transcription of the invocation: “Lord, we thank you for this day, father, for this opportunity as a group. Father, we thank you for the movement that God has put us in place to be in charge of. We thank you for each player here, each coach, each family. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
The letter asked the university to take action to protect students and let Sanders know “he has been hired as a football coach and not a pastor We request that Sanders be educated as to his constitutional duties under the Establishment Clause. He may not promote religion in his capacity as head coach.”
The foundation requested notification of how these sentiments would be communicated to Sanders. In a Feb. 1 update, the organization said the University of Colorado responded, explaining the college’s Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance met with Sanders to address issues, including “guidance on the boundaries in which players and coaches may and may not engage in religious expression.”
Sanders frequently discusses his Christian faith. He recently glorified God during an introductory news conference commemorating his new position. Rather than leading with self-accolades, Sanders praised the Lord.
“Wow,” he said. “Don’t you ever tell me what God ain’t. Don’t you ever tell me His limits. Don’t you ever tell me what you’re up against and what you can’t do. Out of all the persons in the world, God chose me. For that, I thank him; for that, I love him; for that, I magnify him; for that, I glorify him; for that, I praise him; for that, I owe him. Each and every day, I’m trying to please him.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
