Deion Sanders says offering critics $50K to stop talking was a joke as Colorado sinks in Big 12

Sanders was once college football's most polarizing figure, and allegedly offered critics big money to keep his name out of their mouths

Oct 27, 2026 at 12:01 pm ET • 2 min read

Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes sit at the bottom of the Big 12 amid an active five-game losing streak that's dropped them to 2-5 overall and 0-3 in conference play. 

Over the past two seasons, the Buffaloes have gone 1-11 in the Big 12, and all of the excitement of Sanders' first two seasons in Boulder has turned to either frustration or apathy. Early in his tenure, Sanders was a lightning rod in the world of college sports, drawing more attention than just about anyone else. Whether it was praise or criticism, Sanders was one of the sport's top draws, and while Sanders publicly embraced his role as college football's most polarizing figure, he also regularly challenged his critics. 

Apparently, that included offering them money to stop talking about him, with his videographer, Uncle Neely, claiming Sanders offered some critics $50,000 not to talk about him for a year.

"For the most part, the people that attack him wouldn't be making the money they were making if he wasn't here to attack," Neely said on BuffBoys Live. "Which is why he told some of them, 'Hey man, let's just do this. I give you $50,000 to not mention my name for a year.' And ain't nobody took the deal yet. . . . And you love talking about this man so much, and you make so much talking of this man that you turned the deal down."

The Buffaloes, as a program, aren't in a position to afford to move on from Sanders, who would be owed $25.5 million in buyout money if he were fired after the end of the 2026 season. Sanders has spent the last two years insisting his team is close and that they're doing all the right things, but it's just not showing up on Saturdays. 

"We're so disciplined in this and that, and this and that, and every darn thing we do, but it seems like as soon as we go in the field, we're not disciplined," Sanders said after Saturday's loss to Oklahoma State. "I really don't understand it, because we are disciplined in every area of this program. When it comes to academics, when it comes to being somewhere on time, when it comes to wearing the proper uniform, when it comes to just your manners in the building. Everything. But [when] we get on the field at the most critical moments, we blow it."

The more Sanders leans on that refrain, the harder it becomes for the fans to buy it. The result is growing apathy around the Colorado program, as there isn't a clear path out of the Big 12's basement, and they have to hope Sanders can be the coach to pull them out. 

That stands in stark contrast to the vibe in Boulder a few years ago, when there was so much chatter about Sanders that his top critics would allegedly turn down $50,000 not to speak about him for a year.