“You know who the trash is”: Defending Deion Sanders Jr, Auburn legend Cam Newton issues message for viral Texas Tech ball boy 

Two weeks ago, the Colorado Buffaloes played the Texas Tech Red Raiders in what was an important game for the Buffaloes' season. CU won convincingly 41-27 to give Deion Sanders' program its seventh win of the season.

However, the game was overshadowed by an incident in the final minute. After Shilo Sanders returned a fumble 6 yards for a touchdown and celebrated, a Texas Tech ball boy took the ball from Shilo's hands. Then, Shedeur Sanders appeared to confront the ball boy, alongside Deion Sanders Jr., who may have said something.

On Wednesday, former Auburn Tigers (and Carolina Panthers) quarterback Cam Newton reacted with some stern words for the Texas Tech ball boy.

"You know who the trash is. That little poor ball boy. ... You doing some goofy s**t, you gonna get clowned on."

The Texas Tech fans had been intimidating and trying to put the Buffaloes off their rhythm for the entire game.

This includes aiming a vulgar chant at Shedeur before the game started and their traditional practice of throwing tortillas onto the field. However, the ball boy's actions had a direct impact on the players.

The Sanders family was not allowed to celebrate a key moment in Shilo Sanders' season that had been affected by an injury due to what the ball boy did.

Was the Ball Boy just doing his job?

However, while the Boy Ball got criticized for his part in this incident, was he just doing his job?

In the NFL, players can keep the ball after making significant plays. Some of these later become commemorative balls that are signed by the player and then auctioned off, while others are given to fans in the stands in the immediate aftermath. Some become treasured souvenirs.

In the NFL and college football, each team plays with its own footballs, which are normally branded with the team's logo. So, the ball boy was retrieving his team's football, which the Red Raiders had fumbled.

Technically, the ball boy was doing his job in taking the ball from the Buffaloes as they returned to their sideline. Shilo Sanders had already celebrated the score by doing the shuffle made famous by his father, Deion Sanders, in his Hall of Fame career.