Sanders' Big Decision
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:28 pmSorry if this has already been posted, but an article from SMU Rivals about E. Sanders' decision. OK, I know he's a talented kid but he was really planning on leaving school early?? Glad Deion of all people was the voice of reason...
"The night of January 14th, 2009 came and gone for most just like any other day. For Sanders, it was one of the biggest 24-hour periods of his life in which he was trying to make a decision that was far more difficult than any had realized.
"January 15th was the day that I had to decide whether or not I was going to declare for the NFL Draft," said Sanders. "On the 14th, the day before I had to send off the papers, I went to sleep that night and told my mom I was going to call her and let her know my final decision in the morning."
As Sanders lay in bed, he came to the conclusion that leaving school early was the best way to go.
"I went to sleep thinking that I was going to come out. My options were looking good that I was no doubt going to come out. That's what I was thinking."
The next morning, just hours away from faxing over his paperwork to declare his exit from college football, Sanders made a phone call. His mother wasn't the first person's number he dialed though.
"I ended up calling Deion Sanders and we talked a while. He was throwing me out the positives and the negatives. He made me realize that I'm going to catch 100 balls next year and that my draft status could possibly go up to early second round or maybe I could even sneak into the late first round."
Deion Sanders (unrelated) had become a mentor of Sanders after SMU head coach June Jones introduced the two at a Prime U camp last summer. Their relationship gained momentum throughout the year as Emmanuel Sanders would go out to Deion Sanders' house and go through workouts.
"He had Pacman Jones and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from the Chargers out there. I would be running routes against them and I felt like I was looking good. I was going up against the best and holding my own. After that, we exchanged numbers and we started texting each other back and forth. I would come out to his house and workout with some of the guys that he'd have over.""
