Deion Sanders says alleged $50,000 offer to silence critics was 'a joke' amid Colorado's struggles

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is addressing comments made by one of his longtime associates.

Christopher Neely, a YouTube content creator who goes by "Uncle Neely," recently suggested that Coach Prime was willing to pay up to $50,000 to silence his vocal critics. "That was a joke," Sanders told reporters Tuesday.

"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 in a video from an online roundtable program. "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."

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Colorado coach Deion Sanders stands on the field as the team warms up before a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Colorado Buffaloes at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Oct. 24, 2026. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

Sanders appeared to need more context when reporters asked him about what was described as an offer of hush money for detractors of the Colorado program. Neely, who was in the room for Sanders' weekly news conference, quickly filled him in on the comments.

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"Oh no, no, no! I think you misinterpreted that," Sanders said. "I said, like some of y'all in here sitting right now, 'I would love to give you money and not mention my name, and I want to see how far that goes.' ... That's what we were saying. Some people live on your name."

Sanders said criticism was nothing new to him, having faced it during his NFL playing days before it carried over into his coaching career.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders gestures to referees after a call against Iowa State in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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"I would never offer a man money. I don't give a darn what you say about me," Sanders said. "That was really a joke about someone prospering off of your name and your brand. It's not in my heart to not like anybody in this room. I may not like some things you may do or say, but I don't know you enough to form that opinion.

"This is normalcy because I'm just different. I'm unapologetic about things I say and how I live my life."

Sanders is in his fourth season at Colorado, having taken over after a successful run at Jackson State. The Pro Football Hall of Famer quickly raised Colorado’s profile, winning nine games and leading the Buffaloes to a bowl appearance in his second season.

Head coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes heads to midfield after a 57-24 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Oct. 24, 2026. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

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Colorado finished the 2025 season with a 3-9 record. The team got off to a 2-0 start this season but has dropped its last five games. The Buffaloes face Kansas State on Saturday.