For the Colorado football team, there’s a stiff price to pay for being late to practice: a $500 fine.
Not showing up at all? That’s a $2,500 fine.
Coach Deion Sanders is cracking down on violations of team rules with heftier fines for his players. Fresh off a 3-9 season, Sanders unveiled his fine structure during his first meeting with the team last Friday. The fees are seen in the background of a video posted by Well Off Media, the social media company run by his oldest son, Deion Jr., that chronicles the team.
The fines are not connected to name, image and likeness licensing agreements and not related to on-field performance. They are strictly for violating team rules, which is permissible, according to the school.
This isn’t the first time Sanders has enacted a fine system. It’s just now more costly.
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Other fines that could be assessed include $2,000 for being a no-show to a meeting or film session ($400 for being late), $1,500 for not showing up to a strength and conditioning workout, $1,000 for being late to treatment ($1,500 for a no-show), up to $2,500 for a violation of team rules and up to $5,000 for public or social media misconduct.
Sanders also banned profanity outside of the meeting room and especially in the dining area because “we’re not the only ones in the cafeteria. You need to be respectful.” In addition, Sanders stressed the importance of being respectful to women.
One of his biggest forbidden items was directed at transfers: T-shirts, sweatshirts or any other gear of their former team.
“That’s disrespectful,” Sanders said in the video. “That would be like your lady that you have currently wearing her [ex-boyfriend’s] stuff. How do you feel about that? She’s sitting up there with a shirt on that had her [ex-boyfriend’s] name. … That’s how I feel about that when I see you come into the cafeteria — you eat our food with your last team on. Obviously, if you wanted to stay there, you should’ve stayed.”
Sanders had his staff members introduce themselves at the meeting, including his head of security, Michael Rhodes. He revealed he fields about five death threats a day and warned the team about being mindful of whom they let into the building.
“Everybody’s trying to get to Coach Prime,” Rhodes said. “Those people trying to get to him, not all of them have good intentions.”
New offensive coordinator Brennan Marion briefly talked to the team as well. He’s implementing the high-tempo, run-oriented “Go-Go” system for quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis to run.
“Really, what I want to talk to you guys about is that there’s no Plan B, fellas,” Marion said in the video. “One great year can change our lives, everybody in this room. It’s not my offense. It’s our offense.”
