Deion Sanders is Colorado’s $280 million man (after four games)
Colorado athletic director Rick George gave a surprising answer last year when asked how he came up with enough money to pay for his new football coach, Deion Sanders.
Deion Sanders is Colorado’s $280 million man (after four games)
This was on Dec. 4, the day he introduced Sanders in Boulder.
“We don’t have the money yet,” George told reporters then. “But I know we’ll have it.”
Ten months later, it turns out the university found the money. And it wasn’t hiding under the cushions of the sofa. It came instead from a return on investment with Sanders that has become shocking in scope, unlike anything ever seen less than a year after hiring a new college football coach.
Two numbers sum it up. Here’s what Colorado is set to pay Sanders over five years through 2027, according to his contract with the university:
The $280 million is a conservative estimate compiled by USA TODAY Sports. It includes increases in football ticket sales from last year ($20 million), increases in donations ($8 million), increases in other categories (at least $3 million) and the estimated value of the increased media exposure that came with hiring a Pro Football Hall of Famer who attracts so many cameras ($249 million