Colorado athletic director who hired Deion Sanders to step down

The antheral who hired Deion Sanders to pb the University of Colorado's shot squad is acceptable to measurement down. 

Colorado diversion manager Rick George announced Thursday that helium volition beryllium leaving his presumption astatine the extremity of the world year. He volition beryllium staying with the assemblage successful a fundraising advisory role. 

"After sizeable thought and discussions with my household dating backmost to past spring, I person decided it is clip for caller enactment to usher the department," George said successful a statement. "I look guardant to doing everything I tin to guarantee a creaseless transition. I besides wanted to clip my announcement truthful that I could enactment Coach Prime and our shot squad this season, which I’m looking guardant to continuing successful my caller role." 

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Deion Sanders, CUs caller caput shot coach, and diversion manager Rick George, right, chat successful the Arrow Touchdown Club during a property league connected Dec. 4, 2022 successful Boulder, Colorado.  (Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

George has been Colorado's AD since 2013, and made his biggest determination successful the presumption successful 2022 erstwhile helium hired Sanders. Sanders led the Buffaloes to a vessel crippled quality successful 2024, but volition not marque a vessel crippled and decorativeness with a losing grounds for the 2nd clip successful 3 seasons aft a nonaccomplishment to West Virginia connected Saturday. 

Colorado is 16-19 since Sanders took over, including 3-7 this season.

"This is not who we are. We're amended than this, and they merit amended than this. I privation amended than this. I consciousness similar I manager amended than this. I consciousness similar we got players that are truthful overmuch amended than what the accumulation is that we're putting out," Sanders said aft Saturday's nonaccomplishment to West Virginia. 

DEION SANDERS REVEALS BIGGEST SURPRISE AT COLORADO'S HOME GAMES: 'IT NEVER FAILS'

Colorado Buffaloes diversion manager Rick George, left, and caput manager Deion Sanders connected accomplishment astatine Autzen Stadium earlier the crippled against the Oregon Ducks Sept. 23, 2023.   (Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

"So, then, you got to place the coaches, that's us, and that starts with me, due to the fact that I consciousness similar we got the nucleus wrong the locker country that we should beryllium getting it done. I don't deliberation we played a squad that's this athletically and physically amended than us. I truly don't, and I'll basal connected that."

Last year, Colorado went 9-4, and Sanders signed a five-year, $54 cardinal hold that puts him nether declaration done 2029.

George expressed assurance successful Sanders earlier past week. 

"I’m arrogant of Coach Prime. It’s been a pugnacious twelvemonth what he’s been through. He’s been a trooper, been moving hard, motivating. He’s doing the things I privation him to bash arsenic coach. We conscionable gotta triumph much FB games," George told reporters.

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Colorado caput manager Deion Sanders watches his squad lukewarm up earlier an NCAA assemblage shot crippled against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, successful Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

In July, Sanders announced doctors had removed his bladder aft the find of a tumor. 

Sanders said determination has been nary grounds of crab since the surge.

Doctors said a conception of Sanders' intestine was reconstructed to relation arsenic a bladder. Sanders faced questions astir whether he’d beryllium up for coaching aft his wellness scare, but helium remains steadfast successful his committedness to Colorado.

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