"He wants to educate you on field": Marshall Faulk opens up on lesser known side of Deion Sanders' persona

Financial literacy is extremely important. Deion Sanders has been advocating the need for financial discipline among student athletes for quite some time, especially after he joined the Colorado Buffaloes in the 2023 season.

Hall of Famer and NFL legend Marshall Faulk recently shared a similar notion during Thursday's interview with reporters at spring practice. He mentioned that one of the reasons he joined the Buffs program was to teach athletes more about life than just mere football.

When asked about the culture at Colorado, Faulk mentioned that Deion Sanders is way different than what fans get to see him on the screen. His coaching style, values and approach towards life are very dynamic.

“You know, the past seven years working in the financial sector, and what we want to do. And this, this is what I love about the man and the person (talks about Deion Sanders). Obviously, you guys used to see the glasses and the chain and, you know, he has his isms that he says you know, and all the stuff that he does.

"And he appears to be this, you know, this figure that's larger than life, but in reality, when these kids leave here, the most important thing that he cares about is who they become as a young man,” said Faulk about Sanders' demeanour.

“In sports, not just football, in sports, when a lot of athletes leave their sport financially, they're not in good standing. And he wants to educate you on the field. He wants to educate you in life. He wants to make sure you're educated in finances, you know, making sure that these young men take the values of football and go be great in football, but make sure you're great in life as well. And that's the idea,” he added.

Deion Sanders’ Colorado staff member Warren Sapp once went broke

Talking about financial literacy, Hall of Famer Warren Sapp, Colorado's pass rush coordinator, went through a tough phase of his life in 2012. Once known for being a super rich NFL star who made headlines for an extravagant lifestyle, filed for bankruptcy in 2012.

Per reports, his total debts added to $6.7 million despite enjoying hefty contracts and income from various business ventures. At that time, he owned 240 pairs of Nike Airs and a lion skin rug as per the report from Money wise.

Players like Mark Ingram Sr., Andre Rison and Vince Young happened to go down a similar path as that of Sapp's. The list is long. It was seen that NFL players who had poor financial management went bankrupt in just two years post retirement.

Four out of five retired athletes followed this trend, per SI. Times have changed with players being asked to focus on academics and financial literacy at par with football training, and Deion Sanders is working in that regard.