Charlamagne Tha God’s famed “Donkey of the Day” taunt was awarded to social media detractors who had ill feelings toward Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders for his decision to leave historically Black Jackson State University — where he led the team to back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference championships for the school’s first time since the 1995 and 1996 seasons — for the University of Colorado.
The longtime host aired out his frustration during his “The Breakfast Club” radio show, when he awarded “everyone out there who is slandering Deion Sanders because he decided to leave Jackson State University for the Colorado Buffaloes” with “Donkey of the Day” for Monday, Dec 5.
Charlamagne sympathized with critics, stating, “Listen, man, I understand if you are hurt that Deion Sanders is leaving Jackson State. I totally get it; it’s Deion Sanders. The man brought so much positive attention to that program, the SWAC conference, and HBCUs.”
However, the pop culture commentator suggested, “Instead of calling the man a sellout and saying that he sold out people a dream, how about appreciate what that man brought to the table,” before going on to list a series of notable achievements made by the famed Coach Prime since he took on the role as head football coach in 2020.
Along with two titles, Sanders’s success included a rise in Jackson’s visibility. They were on the cover of Sports Illustrated in July and were visited by ESPN’s “College GameDay” last October.
Charlamagne continued, “He got Jackson State University new practice fields, new locker rooms. He got Under Armour sponsoring Jackson State uniforms [and] countless other things that will benefit that program for years, and slander is the thanks he gets?”
Many appeared to agree with Charlamagne as many quickly shared their thoughts on the matter, including one YouTube user who wrote, “Coach Prime set an example for all black former NFL’rs who have ever had an opportunity to be a part of something great and give back to the community. PRIME set the “BAR”!”
They added, “He gave his absolute best to JSU and they THRIVED under his leadership. I wish others would take his lead and do the same.”
However, some saw it differently, including one critic who argued, “Nah you missing it. I won’t call him a sell out, but let’s look at what the result of leaving now is. These young men came to JSU to play for Deion.”
The YouTuber user continued, “They passed up the opportunity to play at PWI’s to play for Deion. Students potentially passed up a path to professional football to play for Deion. This was critical at this point in time. At the very least he should have provided a successor.”
Charlamagne concluded the first half of his lashing by stating: “All that he’s a sellout slander, y’all tripping all right. That man has done so much for Black kids and HBCUs, and he will continue to. Which brings me to my next point: What have you done for HBCUs lately?”
