Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders admitted that he never tries to break up fights between his players and even says he keeps a record of who won.
“I love it,” Sanders said of fights breaking out during practice, according to the New York Post.
“We’ve had a great week of practice. We had a couple of fights, which I like,” Sanders said on the Colorado Football Coaches Show.
The University of Colorado coach went on to call fights a “great thing.”
Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes watches his team during warm-ups before taking on the Stanford Cardinal at Folsom Field on October 13, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado. (Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
“It’s a great thing. I always want to know who won because I keep records. I don’t break them up. Some coaches break them up. I don’t. Some guys fight, hoping for the break up. No, we’re going to let you go,” he said.
Apparently, the coach thinks it heightens competitiveness.
“So, we did have a couple fights this week, and I love it. They’ve been getting after it. It’s almost like a rededication. It’s almost like a refocus. I love where we are. We’ve had great practices this week, offense, defense, as well as special teams,” he said.
Indeed, Sanders said he is unhappy when other players refuse to involve themselves in a fight on the practice field.
In response to a video of two Buffaloes fighting posted in August, Sanders blasted the other players.
Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes watches as his team warms up before their spring game at Folsom Field on April 22, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
“He just fought. I saw two of y’all walking off over there and you got a teammate fighting. Where they do that at?! Where they do that at?!” Sanders said. “If one fight, we all fight! You understand that? I don’t wanna see y’all walking off when somebody’s fighting. Never again!”
Sanders concluded that he wanted to win at any cost, and the players liking each other was not required.
“I don’t care about culture. I don’t even care if they like each other. I want to win,” he said.
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