The photo shoot was progressing the way they often do, becoming a war of wills pitting the perfectionists with the cameras and the lighting and the smoke machine against the impatient subjects arrayed in front of them. Between poses, Deion Sanders was getting fidgety.
The coach of Colorado was surrounded by his people: His agent, the school’s chancellor and athletic director, and 99-year-old superfan Peggy Coppom were among the entourage. As the photo crew pored over details, Sanders lobbed one-liners at his sons—social media maven Deion Jr., Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur and safety Shilo. He wrapped his arm around his daughter, Colorado basketball player Shelomi, kissing her on the temple. He bent over to speak so tiny Peggy could hear him. (Peggy is Deion’s match in terms of personality. “I thought I was coming for the Swimsuit edition,” she said.)
But eventually, this shoot at Folsom Field needed to wrap so Coach Prime could get back to coaching. “We’re doing one more shot,” he said, light but firm. “Let’s go.”