Pro Hall of Famer and Jackson State University head football coach Deion Sanders has gotten his stolen boombox back after making a public plea on Instagram for the “streets” to return it.
On Wednesday, Jan. 20, Sanders posted a video to Instagram revealing someone returned the boombox, which he said had “sentimental value” to him, to the university’s campus. “God is Good and JACKSON MISSISSIPPI IS Great!” Sanders wrote in the caption of the video.
He also showed a handwritten note someone left which read, “Man they wild. They say they didn’t know but I ain’t trippin’ over no bread. Just please bring back hope 2 Jackson. HMU. A winning season would be great.”
Sanders said the unidentified person also left a cellphone number with the note. He lauded the community for coming to his aid.
“This is love,” Sanders said in the video as he picked up the boombox. “Jackson, Mississippi, I just want to tell you I love you. I appreciate you. I’m proud of you, but the thing I admire the most is how we came together as a city.”
Sanders said he got tons of calls, help from the sheriff’s department and the hood came through for him in a big way.
“The hood, oh my God, the hood was on 10! We had so many calls. The hood and all my OGs, my real OGs here that I met with as soon as I got named, my real OGs, you know who you are,” Sanders excitedly said. “The person that this was your area, I got love for you man … all y’all, I got love because y’all handled up. I didn’t want no violence. I never wanted no violence. You know what I wanted? I wanted unity.”
The Florida native said he hoped he could get a chance to talk to the actual thief and offer them a job so they wouldn’t have to resort to stealing. The rest of Sanders’ caption on the video reflected his spoken sentiments.
“UNITY is what I’ve been pursuing all my life. If we can come together over a darn boom box I know we can come together for issues like senseless murders, kidnapping, Financial literacy, education, Teenage pregnancy, family breakdown, drugs & alcohol abuse and crime!” Sanders’ caption continued. “We can do this Jackson Mississippi and EVERYWHERE ELSE! I love y’all and y’all proved me right. I bet on y’all and y’all came thru. I love all y’all and especially the HOOD!”
Sanders first revealed his boombox had been stolen on Monday, Jan. 18. In a video also posted to Instagram, the coach said someone in a white suburban broke into his black Ford F-350 truck and took the boombox early that morning.
According to Sanders, the thief “broke the window out and stole this boombox that one of my dearest friends gave me as a birthday gift and I’m a little disturbed because the boombox has a sentimental value.”
After offering a reward for the return of the boombox, Sanders said he didn’t care about the window, because it could be replaced. He added that someone named Capo, who is “very special and dear” to him gave him the boombox as a birthday gift and it was “the principle of it.”
“Streets, please find my boombox. God bless you,” Sanders concluded his plea.
Sanders said the boombox was returned less than 24 hours after his initial video was posted.
