Deion Sanders says the $50,000 offer to keep critics from mentioning him was a joke

Deion Sanders says the $50,000 offer to his critics was a joke.

"That was a joke," the Colorado coach told reporters Tuesday, according to ESPN, after he was asked about a claim made by Christopher Neely, a YouTube creator known as "Uncle Neely" who has been around Sanders since his Jackson State days.

On a roundtable internet show, Neely said the people who attack Sanders "wouldn't be making the money they were making if he wasn't here to attack," and that Sanders had told some of them, "I give you $50,000 to not mention my name for a year. And ain't nobody took the deal yet."

Sanders seemed confused by the question at first and got a quick rundown from Neely, who was in the room for the weekly news conference. Then he explained.

"Oh no, no, no! I think you misinterpreted that," Sanders said. "I said, like some of y'all in here sitting right now, 'I would love to give you money and not mention my name, and I want to see how far that goes.' ... That's what we were saying. Some people live on your name."

"I would never offer a man money. I don't give a darn what you say about me," he said. "That was really a joke about someone prospering off of your name and your brand."

The critics have plenty to work with. Colorado has lost five straight and is 2-5. Sanders is 18-26 in his fourth season after a 3-9 finish last year, and the 9-4 season with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter looks further away every week.

"This is normalcy because I'm just different," Sanders said. "I'm unapologetic about things I say and how I live my life."

Colorado plays Kansas State on Saturday.