Playboy Persona Isn’t for Sanders

Deion Sanders wants to escape the image he created to make him millions of dollars. He says he’s tired of Prime Time, though that’s what many of his teammates still call him. He says he doesn’t want the attention that comes with fame, though the words “Prime Time” adorn the gates to his suburban Dallas estate.

Sanders, who arrived at last Sunday’s game against Oakland in a creme-colored suit, driving a black Lamborghini with Florida State license plates that read “PT 21,” says he has changed.

He’s now a man of God.

A man who puts the holy book before his playbook. A man who memorizes sermons the way he used to study receivers’ moves.

A man who regularly leaves religious pamphlets and books in his teammates’ lockers and holds a weekly 30-minute Bible study Thursdays during the Cowboys’ lunch period. And he’s a man who spends his off day Tuesday visiting a nursing home in south Dallas, speaking to high-school students and holding a Bible study in a church near his home. He made a $1 million donation to a Dallas church in order to build a youth center.

“People want to know what happened to me,” Sanders told the Dallas Morning News. “It’s one thing to see you dancing and high-stepping, all flashy and flamboyant, and one day you come out and say, ‘You know, I love Jesus Christ. He’s everything to me.’ ”

That’s because Sanders said he couldn’t find happiness in money, fame or women. No matter how hard he tried. He was in the process of a divorce and separated from his children--Diondra, 8, and Deion Jr., 4, whose nickname is Bucky.

Sanders said he even tried to commit suicide in the summer of 1996, when he drove his car off a highway and into a ravine. When he escaped without a bruise or a scratch, Sanders said he gave his life to God--no questions asked.

Sanders, though, has been questioned intensely about his religious convictions. Many have scoffed at Sanders’ beliefs. It doesn’t bother him.

“I am not offended because even Jesus was persecuted,” Sanders said. “I was on five commercials at a time. My bank account was overflowing. I had numerous cars in my driveway and 15,000 square feet homes.

“I am not boasting. I am not bragging. I am being real. Why would I need to use Jesus?”

Sanders has been an influence in the Cowboys’ locker room, especially among the younger players. But he also has had an impact on the lives of veterans such as running back Emmitt Smith and safety Darren Woodson. Each has become a born-again Christian in the past year. Sanders didn’t influence them to make changes in their lives, but he made it easier. They also sympathize with the scrutiny he has gone through.

“When some people say they’re Christians, people just accept it,” Smith said during training camp. “With Deion, they want to question him. Why can’t they just be happy for him? The man has changed his life.”

While Sanders has changed his spirituality, nothing has changed about his approach to professional football. He remains one of the best in the business.

Two weeks ago, he turned in the best performance of his storied 10-year career. That’s impressive considering Sanders has scored 19 career touchdowns, including 16 on punt, kickoff, fumble and interception returns, and played in six Pro Bowls.

Against the New York Giants, Sanders returned five punts for 100 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown. He had another punt return for 39 yards, caught a 55-yard pass and returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown.

And with quarterback Troy Aikman out with a fractured left collarbone, first-year Coach Chan Gailey has included Sanders in the game plan as a quarterback in short-yardage situations. Sanders passed for 839 yards and ran for 499 as an option quarterback in high school.

Sanders’ reputation paints him as the NFL’s best coverage corner. He’s so good that offensive coordinators, who spend hours developing elaborate game plans to create one-on-one matchups, don’t test him even though they know he’s going to be man-to-man against a wide receiver.

Actually, Sanders said he gets bored when he plays just defense.

“They don’t challenge me much,” Sanders said, “but as soon as I think they’re not, then they hit me with five-yard out or slant, and it makes me upset for the rest of the game. Playing offense keeps me in the game 100 percent mentally because I have to sit next to the coaching staff so I can be ready when they’re ready to utilize me.”

But it’s on punt returns where Sanders has been the NFL’s most electrifying player. Yes, he has been better than even Baltimore’s Jermaine Lewis.

Sanders is averaging 15.6 yards on 10 returns. He already has four returns of at least 39 yards because he relies on a simple philosophy.

“Most punt-return teams try to get 10 yards, but we don’t care about that,” Sanders said. “We’re trying to score every time we field a punt. We want to take it to the house, and sometimes that means running backwards or losing a few yards, while we try to make a big play.”

Before most punt returns, Sanders begins dancing or talking to himself while he awaits the punt.

“First I’m just talking to the Lord and thanking him and praising him,” Sanders said. “And then I’m thanking him for the opportunity to let his light shine on me. And then I’m just hoping they can punt one out far enough so we can work with it because we have a wonderful punt-return unit.”