It looks like some trouble may be brewing between Deion Sanders and Eddie Robinson Jr., a pair of football legends who represent two HBCUs situated in the Deep South.

The matter came to public attention on Saturday, Oct. 8, when Alabama State University (3-3) hosted Jackson State University (5-0) for its homecoming game.

After JSU came out victorious in the match-up with a final score of 26 to Alabama State’s 12, Sanders — aka Coach Prime — went out to meet Robinson for a friendly postgame handshake, which isn’t out of the ordinary in the sport. However, Coach Prime seemingly attempted to add a hug onto the handshake, which Robinson just wasn’t feelin’.

In fact, cameras captured Robinson actively pushing Sanders away, suggesting that he may have been a tad salty over JSU’s 26-12 victory against ASU on homecoming day.

Robinson addressed his conduct during a press conference, saying that there’s more to the story than viewers may be aware of.

“To be up front, I thought it was a lot of disrespect the whole week,” he explained. “We didn’t talk in the pregame. I was out there the whole time at the 50-yard line. He walked through our whole huddle in our end zone. Came the long way around to get to his side of the field in the pregame. Thought that wasn’t classy at all.”

“I’m not about to give you the Obama bro hug. I’m gonna shake your hand and go on. I’m always gonna be respectful and respect the game,” Robinson continued. “I’m living on the shoulders of the SWAC [Southwestern Athletic Conference]. He ain’t SWAC. I’m SWAC.”

He went on to add that he “pray[s] they put us for their damn homecoming” next year.”

In turn, during his own press conference, Coach Prime, who was named SWAC Coach of the Year in 2021, nonchalantly replied with, “Who is SWAC if I ain’t SWAC?”

He was also asked if the ASU coach’s comments serve as motivation, to which he had a pretty epic response.

“I don’t need nobody to motivate me, dawg,” said the Pro Football Hall of Famer. “My mama working two jobs to make ends see each other was motivation. Me being a great father when one of my fathers was a drug addict and my other father was an alcoholic was my motivation. Seeing no one really come out of Ft. Myers, FL, that was my motivation. This? Oh, baby, you gotta get in line. I wake up motivated.”

Shedeur Sanders, Coach Prime’s son who also plays on JSU’s football team, spoke his mind on the situation as well.

“We don’t play that disrespect, especially towards pops,” he tweeted. “Nah we not going for that.”

Coach Prime’s daughter, Deiondra Sanders, added her commentary, tweeting that Robinson was “getting sassy.”

“Not Eddie Robinson getting sassy. You agreed to play against the best team on your homecoming,” she tweeted.

For his part, Robinson issued an apology for how he conducted himself — though it was only addressed to ASU President Dr. Quinton T. Ross Jr., the Board of Trustees and anyone else affiliated with the institution; as far as his behavior with Coach Prime, he appears to have no regrets.

What do you think about the situation?

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