Op-Ed: Deion Sanders new Blenders advertisement breaks Colorado football's sacred 'no red' rule

Deion Sanders might need a refresher on one of the biggest traditions for the Colorado Buffaloes. After Coach Prime was hired in December 2022, there was an unwritten rule established with the program.

This was carried over from decades prior when Nebraska was the Buffs' biggest rival. Those days might be in the past, but the "no red" rule still stands. However, one huge PR campaign shows how Sanders has gone soft upholding what CU football stands for.

Coach Prime arrived on campus in Boulder with clear objectives. It was in the heart of his famed Louis Luggage speech and repeated many times over the course of his tenure in Boulder. With all the grandstanding, Sanders has forgotten one of the fundamental rules for representing Colorado. In his latest advertisement for Blenders Eyewear, Coach Prime is in his office attached to Folsom Field doing a pitch for his new red shades.

On the surface, this is already questionable given CU's colors and the clash with red. Nebraska is still a hated rival. This means no red or supporting the Huskers. Remember when the late CU legend Bill McCartney said, "I'd rather be dead than red." Those are the words the Buffs faithful live by. It's not time to forget just because they've been removed from the schedule. While Sanders would play this off as the latest color attached to his playing career with the San Francisco 49ers, it's still not a good look. Also, the colors are identical to Florida State's red and gold.

Sanders seems more concerned with getting his lines right to sell shade than being Colorado's football coach. It's about respecting the traditions set by those who came before him. Ohio State still refers to Michigan as the "team up north," and that's a fundamental part of what they've established with each other.

Let's go back to the days when Nebraska's Tom Osborne decided to vote against the Big Eight Conference and Colorado for a National Championship in 1990. That meant something to McCartney, and he carried a chip on his shoulder with Nebraska from that point on. Coach Prime owes it to CU fans to tighten up a bit when it comes to promoting anything red. This goes for his line of Nike Diamond Turf shoes as well.

Sanders went back on what he told his players during the start of the 2023 season. "No red" was the law when he came to CU, and now it's reduced to being acceptable at all times. Coach Prime once ripped on Shedeur Sanders' QB coach, Darrell Colbert Jr., for wearing red at this year's Super Bowl festivities in Las Vegas. But Prime also seems to be a walking contradiction these days. Let's be honest and keep it real. Colorado deserves better at this point. Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham downplayed the Ohio State rivalry and fans went irate. There is a clear disconnect with how some coaches treat traditions.

If being able to promote Blenders is a priority, so be it. Be a full-time spokesperson and give up coaching. There's not much room for both since the wins have dried up in Boulder.

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