Tragedy struck college football recently when LSU WR Kyren Lacy took his own life. As the 2025 NFL Draft approached and college football rosters all around the country begin to morph, Lacy’s sudden passing hit home at each and every college football program nationwide.
Deion Sanders took the time to speak candidly and from the heart to his Colorado team amid the collective loss the college football world felt.
Coach Prime Delivers Powerful Message to Team Amid Loss
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders addressed the team this week, following Lacy’s death. He iterated a powerful message on how important it was to seek help while going through dark times.
🔥 Powerful. Real Talk. Coach Prime Speaks from the Heart
“We lost a man this past week in CFB. Devastating. There’s some guys in this room that are thinking the same thing the gentleman thought. I do not want to lose one of y’all”
📽️ @DeionSandersJr pic.twitter.com/aHxBd3sF9y
— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) April 15, 2025
“We lost a man this past week in college football. Devastating. Devastating. Devastating,” Sanders said. “Now everybody’s putting out these messages, everyone’s saying their farewells, everyone’s saying ‘why couldn’t I help, why couldn’t I see that,’ and they’re saying ‘why?’ Let’s handle that before it happens.”
Sanders continued his powerful address to his student athletes in a very personal way.
“But if some guys in this room right now is thinking what the gentleman thought, then I’d love and I’d appreciate it and I’d accept it and I’d want it: [the thoughts] they’re not relevant. You gotta start off, fellas, and ladies, by loving yourself.”
“Because I would hate to suffer that devastation that was suffered this past week from someone in this room and they sitting up there, hiding in plain sight. So, you don’t have to be that emotional, you don’t have to be that kind, you don’t have to be that considerate.”
It wasn’t there that Sanders stopped, either. He continued to drill down on how important it is for his athletes to seek help if they needed it.
Sanders stressed that his words — often criticized by the national media — were true and honest.
“But look at your teammate and say ‘I love you man, you know that right? You know that right?’ How hard was that? But see the difference between me, I mean that. I really mean that. And if y’all take your time to get out [of] your pity party and really get to know these coaches as well as myself, you’ll know we really mean that. It’s not about what you can just do for us, it’s really about what we can do for you.”
“Because we’ve had our shot, we’ve done this, we’ve done that, we’ve had our shot.”
KEEP READING: Deion Sanders Reiterates His Desire to Stay at Colorado
Sanders signed off with his personal statement to his team with a powerful last message.
“I do not want to lose one of y’all, at all.”
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