College football Coach Deion Sanders is publicly sharing his faith once again despite facing criticism and legal challenges.
Sanders was a famous NFL athlete where his nickname was “Prime Time.” Now he’s known as “Coach Prime,” and his University of Colorado Buffaloes are a potential contender for the first college football 12-team playoff.
That playoff begins in less than one month as teams make their final push toward the post-season. The Buffaloes have an 8-2 record which means they’re ranked 16th in college football, but they could still make it to the playoffs if they win their final three games.
Coach Sanders has earned the spotlight not only for coaching a winning team but for being bold about his Christian faith. That has also come with a bit of pushback.
Back in September the Freedom from Religion Foundation sent a letter to the University of Colorado expressing concerns that “Coach Prime” is violating the First Amendment by praying with his team. He also invited a chaplain to join them.
Sanders has been vocal about his Christian faith and on Wednesday said he doesn’t plan to stop.
“I’m not going to be ashamed of the gospel. That’s what my Bible tells me. And I’m going to proclaim my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ wherever I want to. Ain’t nobody gonna tell me not to give love and respect to my Lord and Savior that has blessed me, has pulled me up from suicidal thoughts, and a multiplicity of things that you don’t know,” he said.
Meanwhile, the non-profit legal group First Liberty Institute is defending the head coach’s right to invite a chaplain to speak to the team, saying it’s perfectly constitutional.
“FFRF fumbled the law,” said First Liberty Institute Senior Counsel, Keisha Russell. “The United States has a robust and widely recognized tradition of both public prayer and chaplain programs dating back to the Continental Congress in 1776.”
