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The Deion Sanders era at Jackson State came to an end on Saturday with a heartbreaking 41-34 loss to North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl. But Sanders’ impact on the program was felt after the final whistle blew.
The Tigers had a chance to tie the game in overtime when quarterback Shedeur Sanders lofted a pass to Hayden Hagler on third and goal from the 1-yard line. But Hagler couldn’t haul the pass in, and an incomplete pass on the following play sealed the win for the Eagles.
After the game, an emotional Hagler was in tears at his locker room when Sanders approached him for a comforting pep talk, reassuring him that the loss was not Hagler’s responsibility.
“We go through adversity in everything. It ain’t on you, it’s on us,” Sanders said. “We lost together, do you understand that?”
Sanders will be heading to Colorado to try and rebuild a Buffaloes program that’s managed just two winning seasons in the past 16 years. But it was important for him to finish the season with Jackson State, and moments like the one at Hagler’s locker demonstrate how invested he is in his (now former) players’ well-beings, all the way until the end.
“Alright man, come one, come on. I need you to fight through it. Adversity is gonna prepare you for life, alright? Let’s fight through it … you’ve got to believe that,” Sanders said. “That moment is gonna make you who you want to be for the rest of your life. You feel me? Let’s do it. Come on, baby. Love you man.”
