“I have regrets”: When Coach Prime got real about not fulfilling his potential as a baseball player

Deion Sanders, also known as "Coach Prime," had a prolific football career. He is viewed by most pundits as one of the greatest NFL players of all time. Part of what made him such an impressive player was that he played on both offense and defense. However, another aspect of his career is that he split time as a pro baseball player.

While his priority was always the NFL, Sanders also had an impressive MLB career. However, he has admitted that he wishes he had put more into his baseball career.

Early in the 2024 season, "Well Off Media" released a video of the Colorado Buffaloes practicing. Part of the video included Coach Prime giving a speech to his players about how he regretted not putting his full effort into his baseball career (starts at 13:10).

"It's love today. This is something I want you to understand because this is how I feel about baseball," Sanders said. "I feel like you know what, I could have been really really good. I have regrets. I have dreams of still playing. I have dreams of, god I should've just given it a little more. I know I have this thing called football going on as well, but I still regret what I could've been in baseball.

"It haunts me to this day. It really does. I watch a game every now and then and I'm like, dang. I actually played that, I should've just given it a little more. I had flashes of brilliance, but no consistency because I was cheating on baseball with football. I couldn't give it all I wanted to give."

Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, then used this discussion to encourage his players not to live with regrets and to put all their effort into their college football careers.

Looking back at Coach Prime's baseball career

While Coach Prime spoke about how he did not put his all into his baseball career, he still managed a nine-season MLB career. Sanders was a center fielder and appeared in 641 games. His career lasted from 1989 to 2001, but he did not play in 1996, 1998 or 1999 because he was focused on football.

Sanders was an effective but unspectacular hitter, registering 558 hits and 39 home runs throughout his career. He played for several major league teams, including the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. He only appeared in the playoffs, both times with the Braves, in 1992 and 1993. He never won any individual awards.

As he enters his third year coaching the Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders' journey from "Prime Time" to "Coach Prime" is now an inspiring story in itself.