- Colorado football coach Deion Sanders receives about five death threats per day, according to his head of security.
- Players were warned to be mindful of who they let into team facilities due to security concerns.
- His bodyguard, Michael Rhodes, is on the university payroll and previously worked with Sanders at Jackson State.
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders gets about five death threats per day, according to his bodyguard, which is why his team was urged to take safety precautions during its first team meeting of 2026.
Sanders’ bodyguard, Michael Rhodes, told the team’s players to “be mindful” of who they let into football facilities, as documented in a video posted Friday, Jan. 23, by Sanders’ eldest son, Deion Jr.
“I’m Officer Rhodes. I’m head of security for Coach Prime,” Rhodes told the team. “Real quick, I want to say this. Those of y’all that are new, when y’all head up to the facilities in the morning, be mindful of who comes in with you, especially on the elevator. Don’t let somebody coerce you into scanning them up on the floor, because everybody’s trying to get to Coach Prime. Those people that are trying to get to them, not all of them have good intentions. So just be mindful of that, don’t prop open any doors, because my philosophy is, if the doors open, they will come through. Then they’re gonna have to meet me.”
Deion Sanders: ‘We get death threats all the time’
Deion Sanders then interjected to tell the team why he needs private security. Rhodes is listed on Colorado’s staff as “private security to the head coach” and was on the Colorado payroll last year at $48,880. Rhodes previously worked as a police officer at Jackson State, where Sanders served as head coach before getting hired at Colorado in December 2022. Rhodes also scans Sanders’ mail for potential risks, in addition to following him around at Colorado.
“We get death threats all the time,” Sanders said. “Why? I’m a Black man making it happen, making things move, making all that happen. So we have stuff that’s real.”
Sanders then asked Rhodes, “How many death threats we get?”
“About five every day,” Rhodes replied.
Sanders is entering his fourth year at Colorado after his team finished 3-9 in 2025, 9-4 in 2024 and 4-8 in 2023. The Buffaloes open the 2026 season Sept. 5 at Georgia Tech.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
