"Maturation came in Atlanta": Deion Sanders spills beans on hardest part of being athlete

Before becoming a college football head coach, Deion Sanders had a successful career in the NFL and MLB. He played both football and baseball but made a name for himself as a cornerback who won two Super Bowls (XXIX and XXX). His notable campaigns were with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.

During an appearance on Friday's episode of 'We Got Time Today', Deion Sanders shared his take on what was the hardest part for him as a professional athlete. He stated that his time in Atlanta gave him a reality check which also had a heavy influence on the development of his maturity.

"The maturation probably came in Atlanta," Deion Sanders said. "Because that was the first time in my life where somebody didn't want me...Let me explain."

"We're drafted. We get to choose to where we want to go in college, during our high school. Now, you're drafted in the pros. They choose you, but then they don't resign you. That's like telling you, 'I don't want you.' So now I go to San Francisco, I don't want you. I leave the Braves and go to Cincinnati. So that was hard to handle for a young G that thought he was it."

"So then you had to regroup and look into the mirror and say I got to go get it. Because I've been told that they don't want me. And that's one of the hardest things you could deal with in sports."

Deion Sanders signed with the Atlanta Braves in 1991 and spent four seasons with them. He was also drafted as the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He played for them until 1993 before signing with the San Francisco 49ers for the 1994 season.

That was when he won his first Super Bowl (XXIX) and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for that season. His debut campaign with the 49ers is considered to be arguably his best campaign as a cornerback in the NFL.

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Deion Sanders shares his thoughts on rumors of potentially replacing Mike McCarthy as Cowboys HC

In his second campaign with the Colorado Buffaloes, Coach Prime led the team to a 9-4 campaign along with an Alamo Bowl loss to the BYU Cougars. After the season, reports surfaced that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reached out to him with a potential offer after they fired Mike McCarthy.

Deion Sanders told ESPN's Adam Schefter that he was intrigued by the offer but has not made any plans since he loved his job in Boulder. On the 'We Got Time Today' show, he stated that it would be difficult for him to leave his job as the head coach of the Buffs because of his love for the city of Boulder.

"I love Boulder, let's start there. When I was riding in, and I was just looking at these snow-covered mountains, because it's cold here, but beautifully cold, and I was just looking at how beautiful all of this is. And I was just thinking to myself, 'Wow, God did that.'"

A number of NFL teams including the Cowboys, Saints, Jaguars, and the Raiders are on the hunt for a new head coach for the upcoming season. And it looks like Coach Prime will continue to remain an interesting prospect making headlines until his sons get drafted in April.