NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal had no qualms about what Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said when it came to the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s strategy for recruiting high school players.
O’Neal and his co-hosts on “The Big Podcast,” Nischelle Turner and Spice Adams, listened to the clip of Sanders spelling out the specific things he looks for in high school quarterbacks vs. what he looks for in a defensive lineman. The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar had no issue with what Sanders said last month on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“Ain’t nothing wrong with that. There ain’t nothing wrong with what he said. You know why I have discipline? You know why I don’t get in trouble? You know why I don’t do dumb s—? Daddy would have whooped my a–. Lot of kids don’t have that. A lot of kids have hard-working mothers that really have to work and they grow up on their own. And you can go left or you can go right. Studies show, statistics show, that’s just how it is.”
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Deion Sanders holds up a jersey after being introduced as the new head football coach at the University of Colorado, Dec. 4, 2022, in Boulder. Sanders left Jackson State University after three seasons at the helm of the school’s football team. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
O’Neal doubled down when he explained his stance, saying Sanders was “spitting the facts.”
Turner disagreed with what Sanders was talking about and wondered if she would be counted out as a quarterback if she didn’t come from a two-parent household.
Sanders made waves in February for the remarks.
Shaquille O’Neal attends Shaq’s Fun House Big Game Weekend at Talking Stick Resort on Feb. 10, 2023, in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“Well, we have different attributes. Smart, tough, fast, disciplined with character. Now, quarterbacks are different,” Sanders told Eisen. “We want mother, father. Dual parent. We want that kid to be 3.5 [GPA] and up. Because he has to be smart. Not bad decisions off the field, at all. Because he has to be a leader of men.”
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Sanders said he looks for similar attributes in offensive linemen, but his criteria are different for the defensive side of the football.
Shaquille O’Neal attends the 2023 NBA All Star Ruffles Celebrity Game at Vivint Arena on Feb. 17, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
“Defensive linemen is totally opposite. Single mama, trying to get it, he’s on free lunch,” Sanders continued. “I’m talking about just trying to make it. He’s trying to rescue mama. Like mama barely made the flight. And I want him to just go get it.
“It’s a whole different attribute that you look for in different positions. And we have that stuff just chronicled. We know what we want, and we go get it.”
Sanders just completed his first recruiting class at Colorado, making a big splash on Signing Day and pulling in the 21st-ranked class and a top-five transfer portal class, according to 247 Sports.
Jackson State Tigers head coach Deion Sanders speaks with quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the Orange Blossom Classic against the Florida A&M Rattlers on Sept. 5, 2021, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Colorado Buffaloes head football coach Deion Sanders speaks to members of the media about Signing Day at the Dal Ward Athletic Center in Boulder on Feb. 1, 2023. (Matthew Jonas/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images)
“We’re not recruiting just no ordinary Tom, Dick and Harry,” Sanders said. “We recruited some guys that can light up the scoreboard and prevent touchdowns from occurring. We’re coming. We’re serious about that.
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“Hope is in the house. Hope is in the air. Hope is in the city. Hope is in the community.”
Fox News’ Joe Morgan contributed to this report.
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