The Practical Reason Why Deion ‘Prime Time’ Sanders Returned to Nike

Matt Hickman
·3 min read
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NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is back in the Nike family after once famously swearing off the Swoosh.

Deion Jr., son of the new University of Colorado Boulder football head coach, shared an Instagram post on Saturday that said, “We Coming” @nike #CoachPrime.” Nike confirmed the news on Sunday, releasing a statement obtained by Sourcing Journal that read, “We welcome Deion Sanders back to the Nike family.”

More from Sourcing Journal

Sanders’ post-Florida State athletic career took him into professional football as a cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons and later the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. The athlete also—and at times simultaneously—played for Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants.

That multisport talent made the star nicknamed “Prime Time” an attractive collaboration partner for Nike, and in 1993, “Neon Deion” helped design the first in the line of Nike Diamond Turf footwear for use in football and baseball.

That initial line was followed by the Diamond Turf Max in 1996, the Air Diamond Turf 4 in 1997 and the Air Diamond Turf 5 in 1998.

But Sanders came to believe he wasn’t compensated properly for his work on designing the shoe, and suggested he never felt appreciated by the brand.

The pop culture website Complex reported on Friday that In 2017 and 2019 Sanders had said on its “Sneaker Shopping” podcast that he was offended to never have met Nike co-founder Phil Knight, and was disappointed that the company didn’t do more to support youth sports programs.

Nike’s reunion with Sanders might be born out of necessity. Sanders left his job as an analyst on NFL Network in 2020 to coach the Jackson State University football program where he highlighted the struggles of historically Black colleges and universities. But when he left to take the head coaching job with Colorado in December, he inherited a program that had an existing footwear and apparel contract with Nike through 2025 that pays the school $3 million per year.

Jackson State was also under contract with Nike when Sanders took over its program in 2020, but Sanders was able to switch that commitment to Under Armour, which Sanders had endorsed since 2009. It appears Sanders’ return to Nike signals the end of his partnership with Under Armour.

“Under Armour had a longstanding partnership with Deion Sanders for more than a decade and we are proud of what we accomplished together,” the Baltimore company said in a statement to Sourcing Journal. “Now that he has gone on to Colorado, we can’t wait to see him continue to positively impact the game and look forward to watching him find continued success with his new partners, athletes, and expanded communities.”

In April, Sanders was seen sporting Nike gear at a Colorado Buffaloes football game, fueling speculation that reconciliation was likely near.

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