Donovan McNabb and the State of Football
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders is getting back together with Nike, according to Boardroom.
Sanders has agreed to restart a deal with the apparel sponsor with whom he previously had a storied relationship — and sold some of the most popular sneakers with his namesake.
The NFL Hall-of-Famer has worked with Under Armour — the same company that outfitted his former team at Jackson State — after severing his relationship with Nike for “several reasons.” The contract was reportedly supposed to run until 2025.
But now, it appears the two have reconciled since Sanders took the job at Colorado — a Nike school.
The school reportedly requires all coaches to work with Nike, though Sanders appeared to have an exception so long as he didn’t wear Under Armour during team activities.
“Under Armour had a longstanding partnership with Deion Sanders for more than a decade and we are proud of what we accomplished together,” Under Armour told Front Office Sports in a statement. “Now that he has gone on to Colorado, we can’t wait to see him continue to positively impact the game and look forward to watching him find continued success with his new partners, athletes, and expanded communities.”
Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sanders isn’t the only one who’s dealt with dueling apparel contracts. Multiple college athletes have signed with competitors of their schools’ apparel contracts.
In some cases, the companies are directly in conflict like Nike and Adidas. In others, athletes have inked deals with athleisure or sports shoe company brands in a gray area because they don’t sponsor athletic departments.
