"Do not draft me. I promise you, I'm not going to Green Bay": Coach Prime recalls stern message for Packers ahead of 1989 NFL draft

Deion Sanders, also known as Coach Prime, has shared how he avoided signing with the Green Bay Packers in the 1989 NFL draft. On Wednesday, the "Reach The People Media" YouTube channel released a video of Sanders speaking to University of Colorado students about his athletic career.

During his speech, Coach Prime reflected on why the Atlanta Falcons drafted him fifth in 1989. He knew the Dallas Cowboys would pick quarterback Troy Aikman first because quarterbacks drove the market. Sanders also shared that he made it clear he didn’t want to be picked second by Green Bay because of the cold weather.

"So, we wanted Troy Aikman in that draft to go first; he was a dear friend of mine," Sanders said (3:22 onwards). "We played together. We won a Super Bowl together. He went first. I was not going to Green Bay."

"They had second pick. Do not draft me. I promise you, I'm not going to Green Bay. It's freezing. I'm a Black man. You know how we are. I'm not doing that, okay."

The Packers drafted offensive tackle Tony Mandarich with their second pick. Sanders also revealed that he made it clear he didn’t want to be drafted third by the Detroit Lions either.

"The third pick was the Detroit Lions. I'm not going to Detroit. Do not draft me. I'm playing baseball. The fourth pick was Kansas City (Chiefs). These are all cold-weather cities. I'm not doing that," Sanders said (3:41 onwards).

The Lions drafted Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders with the third pick, and the Kansas City Chiefs selected linebacker Derrick Thomas with the fourth pick in the 1989 NFL draft.

Coach Prime shares what appealed to him about joining the Atlanta Falcons in the 1989 NFL draft

The Falcons were Coach Prime's preferred destination in the draft, thanks to the warm weather. He played for the Florida State Seminoles and was used to a warm climate. However, Sanders said a trip to Atlanta during his senior year solidified his decision.

"When I was All-American my senior year, they took us on this All-American trip. I don't know if it was Kodak All-American or one of these All-American teams, but we went to Atlanta, and it blew my mind. I had never seen African-American people so influential and had means and wealth. Blew my mind," Sanders said (3:53 onwards).

"Black doctors, Black lawyers, Black police...I ain't never seen nothing like that coming from Florida, and it was crazy. So, I made up my mind right then that summer, kind of the summer that this is where I want to go."

Coach Prime played for the Falcons for five years before joining the San Francisco 49ers for the 1994 season.