After calling his daughter Shelomi’s decision to transfer from the University of Colorado to play basketball at Alabama A&M University “stupid,” Deion Sanders was called out by her mother, his ex-wife Pilar Sanders.
She blasted the former NFL star for being an absentee dad over a “present” one and not supporting his daughter’s choices.
“You always talk about a present person, don’t. Stop talking about a present parent. Don’t make me say more than I have to say. Stop talking about being a present parent,” said Pilar in a YouTube video directed at her ex-husband.
Coach Prime has seemingly responded by taking to social media to spread some of his sage advice, telling his 1.8 million followers to “stay positive” and “operate out of love.”
In the early morning of Saturday, April 27, he posted on X, “Let’s Go baby! Stay Positive and operate out of Love. It’s enough Hate out there that they don’t need your emotions or sensitivity. God bless u. #CoachPrime.”
Let's Go baby! Stay Positive and operate out of Love. It's enough Hate out there that they don't need your emotions or sensitivity. God bless u. #CoachPrime
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) April 27, 2024
His tweet came after his ex-wife Pilar Sanders blasted him as not operating from a place of love and for not being supportive. According to Pilar, Coach Prime didn’t respect his daughter’s decision because she made it on her own.
She said in a response video, “When a child, a young adult, decides to step out on their own and even taking advice, not even in an arrogant way, not in a disrespectful way, but looking out for their own life, looking out for their own career, and doing what’s best to be done, the girl wants to play ball.”
She also claimed that the celebrity sports dad robbed his daughter of the experience of being recruited and that he had favorites out of his five children, Deiondra, Deion Jr., Shilo, Shedeur and Shelomi Sanders. Among his mini squad, the youngest three are shared with Pilar.
She added, “How about supporting somebody else? We know you have your favorites. We all know that; we’ve all seen it throughout life.”
Many social media users deemed Deion’s positivity quote as an attempt to gloss over his comments about Shelomi’s decision to go to the HBCU.
“Disagreeing isn’t hate,” someone tweeted.
While the majority of the tweets seemed to miss that his family is going through a major split over Shelomi’s decision, many tweets weigh in on how each parent is handling it.
“No shade but i’m glad she’s clocking his tea,” one tweet read. “Pilar is a GIRL MOM. she was coming to her daughters games even when she wasn’t playing in them. i only seen deion at one i think. it’s sad cause it’s kinda the same with deiondra. he only care bout them boys it seems.”
no shade but i’m glad she’s clocking his tea. pilar is a GIRL MOM. she was coming to her daughters games even when she wasn’t playing in them. i only seen deion at one i think. it’s sad cause it’s kinda the same with deiondra. he only care bout them boys it seems. pic.twitter.com/6rS9UUa0cA
— 🐦⬛🪐 (@gothspoulz) April 26, 2024
Some fans saw the tweet as evidence that a parental war is brewing between Deion and Pilar.
“Deion & Pilar finna bump heads again over Shelomi school choice smh,” one X user wrote.
Others believe that his ex-wife is to blame, writing, “Pilar Sanders really be tryna brainwash her kids and turn em against Deion that sh0t nasty.”
One fan centered his comments on the young lady at the center of the hoopla, stating, that they were just “going to pray” for all parties involved.
Shelomi initially played at Jackson State University and transferred to Colorado following her dad’s move to the NCAA Division 1 school. But this week, she took to YouTube and announced that she was now going to Alabama A&M to play for newly hired head coach Dawn Thornton.
Her dad, the only athlete in history to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, was furious at the move, calling it “stupid.”
“You get a team before you enter the portal. That’s what I would advise a child. I know it’s illegal, c’mon, c’mon. Everybody knows somebody that knows somebody, that knows somebody. You kind of want them to do something. … And she truly has been advised,” he said.
He added, “You have to understand. I am a real father; I am a real man and a real dad. Where I come from and historically, kids follow their parents. When do parents start following their kids? That doesn’t work in my book. That does not work where I am from. I am the leader of the family, I have been dictating where my kids go, not them dictating where I go.”
