Deion Sanders Scolds Reporter For Calling Him ‘Deion’ And Walks Away

Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders gave a local reporter a “Prime Time” reprimand for calling him “Deion” Tuesday at a press gathering. (See the video below.)

Sanders, a pro football Hall of Famer and former MLB standout, was taking questions via video for a Southwestern Athletic Conference media event when Clarion-Ledger writer Nick Suss addressed the second-year coach by his first name.

“Back up a little bit. You don’t call Nick Saban ‘Nick,’ Sanders said, referring to Alabama coach Nick Saban. “Don’t call me Deion.”

“I call Nick Saban ‘Nick,’” Suss replied.

“No, you don’t. No, you don’t. That’s a lie,” Sanders said back. “If you call Nick ‘Nick’ you get cussed out on the spot. So don’t do that and treat me like Nick.”

Sanders appeared to smile and laugh after delivering the scolding.

But when Suss repeated “Deion,” Sanders got up and walked away.

USA Today’s For the Win provided an example of Saban being called “Nick” without him objecting.

Sanders’ nickname was “Prime Time” in his playing days and he refers to himself as “Coach Prime” on his Twitter.

Sanders wrote on Twitter later that he felt Suss was trying to be “cute to address me the way he did so i dropped the call & went to the next outlet.”

Suss said he has called Sanders by his first name before without a problem, the New York Post reported.

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