It’s important to have goals in life. For instance, the only thing stopping you from being a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back is that you haven’t run for any yards. The only thing stopping me from becoming the next President of the United States is that no one has voted for me. On that same token, the only thing stopping Deion Sanders from becoming Florida State’s next head coach is the pesky fact that Florida State has yet to contact him.
That’s according to Sanders himself, who said the following on his own NFL Network show:
“I have not spoken to anyone from Florida State regarding this. But let me assure you, I am 100 percent -- 100 percent -- desiring to coach at the next level. And I will.”
It’s important to note that the quote was said on NFL Network’s airwaves and then quoted on NFL.com, because the original report of Sanders’s purported candidacy emerged from NFL Network. And no one else. The Tallahassee Democrat, speaking to and ostensibly on behalf of the athletics department, came out and knocked it down with both hands.
It’s also important to note that the Florida State job is open, meaning there’s no coaching norms for FSU to violate by actively shopping its position on the open market. AD David Coburn has said he plans to fill the position by the end of the month.
It’s also important to note that Deion is not a coach, meaning he doesn’t have to give a put-on-the-spot denial because he’s got a team to coach this weekend. This isn’t coaching doublespeak where Deion himself may not have talked to Florida State but his agent has. If Florida State wanted to hire Deion, they would have talked to Deion by now.
So, unless the man wearing a gold necklace with his nickname in gold letters on live television is lying to our faces, the only conclusion here is that Deion Sanders is not going to be Florida State’s next head coach. Which is a bummer.