Always_Thee_🐅

Exactly! They're setting the stage for the excuses and the exit narrative. And what makes this even more ridiculous is that Neely, a JSU graduate himself, is using the same damn playbook he used to defend Prime's departure from his own alma mater. Neely helped push the narrative that JSU was the problem after Deion left. He questioned the university's decisions, complained about the changes being made, and suggested JSU was deliberately moving away from everything Deion had established. Rather than allowing his own university to move forward under T.C. Taylor, he helped feed the narrative that JSU was somehow wrong for refusing to remain in Deion's shadow. Imagine being a graduate of Jackson State and helping disparage your own institution to defend a man who had already moved on to Colorado. And Deion was no better. This man came to JSU talking about GAWD calling him, saving HBCU football, changing the culture, and creating opportunities for Black institutions. JSU embraced him, gave him his first college head coaching opportunity, and supported the entire movement. Then Colorado came calling, and suddenly GAWD had reassigned him to Boulder. He took key players, coaches, and much of the media attention with him, while his supporters acted like JSU should have been grateful just to have him walk across the damn campus. JSU was HBCU excellence long before Deion. Now, four years into Colorado, here comes Neely with another history lesson about everything that was wrong with the institution before Prime arrived. Sound familiar? When Prime left JSU, the university's shortcomings were used to justify his departure. Now that he's struggling at Colorado, the university's shortcomings are being used to excuse his performance. See the pattern? When Prime succeeds, it's because he's a transformational leader. When he fails, it's because of the institution. And somehow, everybody is supposed to be accountable except the man collecting the coaching salary. I have no problem with a Black coach advancing his career. I have a problem with people wrapping one man's personal ambitions in Black institutional uplift and religion, then throwing the very institutions that gave him opportunities under the bus whenever it becomes convenient. And let's not conveniently forget that Deion Sanders was already a wealthy man when he arrived at Jackson State. He wasn't some underpaid Black coach struggling to make ends meet, trying to support his family on a salary that barely reflected his worth. He was an NFL Hall of Famer who had already made millions through professional football, broadcasting, endorsements, and business ventures. So, spare me the narrative that he had to leave JSU because he deserved financial security and better opportunities. This wasn't a matter of survival. It was a matter of personal ambition and choice. And there's nothing inherently wrong with ambition. But let's stop using the very real struggles of underpaid Black coaches to justify how a multimillionaire handled his departure from an HBCU that gave him his first college head coaching opportunity. Deion didn't need Colorado to rescue him financially, and Jackson State damn sure didn't deserve to be disparaged and lied on because he decided to leave. There's a difference between advancing your head coach career and undermining the institution that helped launch it. And Neely, of all people, should understand the importance of protecting the reputation of an HBCU that helped provide him a platform. Instead, he appears more committed to protecting Prime's image than applying the same standards of accountability to him that he expects of everyone else. JSU survived Deion Sanders. The program moved forward, and T.C. Taylor has continued building and winning without the circus and fair-weather celebrities. But this constant rewriting of history to protect a grown man from criticism is getting old. At some point, Deion Sanders has to be evaluated as a COACH, not a celebrity, not a movement, and certainly not some divine appointment beyond accountability. And the fact that Neely is recycling the same excuses he used against his own university tells me everything I need to know about where his loyalty lies. @THEEJHat @SheLoves_Thee @1st_Realest @bomani_jones #THEEILOVE #JSUStandUp #WeTriedToTellThem #HBCUPRIDE #HBCUSRISING #Neely #Prime #CU