Deion Sanders Named Jackson State University Head Football Coach

Jackson State University is excited to announce Deion Sanders will become the 21st head football coach in school history.
 
"I am truly blessed to be the 21st Head football coach of Jackson State University," said Sanders. "This amazing HBCU has always enjoyed a high level of commitment academically and athletically. It's my desire to continue this storied tradition and history of JSU and prayerfully bring more national recognition to the athletes, the university, the Sonic Boom of the South, and HBCUs in general. I am TRULY proud to be a part of the JSU Tiger family. 'I BELIEVE'"
 
JSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Ashley Robinson is excited to introduce Sanders to the Tiger family.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Deion Sanders to Jackson State University, the City of Jackson, and Mississippi," said Robinson. "Coach Sanders is student-athlete centered and cares about young men and their wellbeing beyond the football field. We expect to compete for and win championships at Jackson State, and Coach Sanders will help us achieve those goals."
 
JSU Acting President Thomas K. Hudson is pleased Sanders will lead the program into the next decade.
 
"Jackson State is excited to bring in Coach Sanders to lead our football program," said Hudson. "He understands the legacy and history of football at JSU. I am confident Coach Sanders will solidify the brand of JSU football."
 
An eight-time Pro Bowler, and two-time Super Bowl champion, Sanders played 14 NFL seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens. Sanders is the only player to have played in a Super Bowl and a World Series.
 
A two-time All-American at Florida State, Sanders was the first-round draft choice of the Atlanta Falcons in 1989. In 2020, for the NFL 100th Season, Sanders was named to the NFL All-Time Team.
 
In 2011, Sanders was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was also one of 14 players and two coaches to be named in the National Football Foundation's 2011 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision Class. Sanders, who holds the NFL record for career return touchdowns (19 by kickoff, punt, interception, and fumble), has recently joined the Barstool Sports team where he is making appearances on various programming including on the Pro Football Football Show, Pro Football Football After Show, and his very own podcast, 21st and Prime, which debuted last night.
 
Sanders originally began his broadcasting career with CBS, co-hosting the NFL Today pregame show from 2001-2003. He spent the next 14 years as an analyst for the NFL Network, headlining popular shows like GameDay Prime and Thursday Night Football.
 
While this is Sanders' coaching debut on the collegiate sidelines, he has been coaching for over a decade. Sanders is the offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas, and has led the Tigers to three-straight Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) titles. Trinity Christian is 42-3 since Sanders has been the team's offensive coordinator.
 
In 2019, the Sanders-led offense totaled 6126 yards of total offense and averaged 437.6 yards per game. TCC Quarterback Shedeur Sanders blossomed and accounted for 3477 passing yards and 47 touchdowns and only four interceptions. On the ground, Emari Matthews rushed for 1169 yards and 15 touchdowns.
 
Sanders has been part of the coaching team for the annual Under Armour All-America Game for the past ten years. Most recently, Sanders and Team Pressure earned a 30-24 victory over Ed Reed and Team Savage in the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game. The contest featured dozens of college football's top recruits and also included several much-anticipated commitments.
 
Success – both on the field and in the classroom—has always been at the forefront for Sanders. In 2007, upon retirement from the NFL, Sanders founded TRUTH, a youth organization serving over 1100 kids throughout Dallas, Texas and Memphis, Tennessee, utilizing sports and education as a platform for success and leadership. 
 
Sanders is taking over a program with a strong history and tradition.
 
The JSU football program sports a 462-302-15 overall record and a .603 winning percentage. The winning percentage ranks in the top 25 of all-time in NCAA Division I.
 
The Tigers have produced 99 NFL draft picks, and 150 players have played professionally in the NFL. Among the most notable JSU alums are four Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees: Walter Payton, Lem Barney, Jackie Slater, and Robert Brazile. The four inductees are the most among universities in Mississippi.
 
JSU has won 16 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships, seven division championships, and three HBCU National Championships.
 
Part of the JSU tradition is its supportive and loyal fan base. In 2018 and 2019 JSU led the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in average attendance per game. In 2019, an average of 33,762 per game and over 100,000 people visited Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
 
Following through on a long-standing goal, in 2020, Sanders graduated from Talladega College with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Organizational Management.
 
He is the proud father of five children: Deion Sanders Jr., Deiondra Sanders, Shilo Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, and Shelomi Sanders.
 
Deion Sanders continues to be represented by Constance Schwartz-Morini at SMAC Entertainment and Tabetha Plummer of Plummer Law Group. Jordan Bazant of WME was instrumental in the development of this partnership.

Regina King wins 4th Emmy for WATCHMEN role

Regina King won an Emmy at the 72nd Annual Emmy Awards for her performance in the HBO series, WATCHMEN.

For Regina King who must have another house just to store her acting Awards this is her fourth Primetime Emmy Award. She won for Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or TV movie this year for her role as Angela Abar/Sister Night.

King accepted the Emmy from her home, wearing a pink blazer over a T-shirt bearing the face of Breonna Taylor with the words “Say Her Name.” She thanked Watchmen executive producer Damon Lindelof and his “brilliant mind” along with the entire writing team, and added: “Gotta vote. I would be remiss not to mention that being a part of a show as prescient as Watchmen.” She ended her speech by paying tribute to the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: “Be a good human. Rest in power, RBG.”

NAACP DEVASTATED BY PASSING OF JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP issued the following statement tonight on the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

The NAACP family is devastated by the passing tonight of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg was an incredibly accomplished civil rights lawyer who devoted her entire legal career to the pursuit of equal justice and eliminating discrimination of all types. When President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court, he called her the “Thurgood Marshall of gender equality law.”

Justice Ginsburg’s 27-year tenure on the Supreme Court was marked by a passion for justice and the rule of the law. Her long, remarkable record includes her legendary opinions involving disability rights in Olmstead v. LC, and gender equality in the military, United States v. Virginia. She was also known for her powerful dissents, many of which she delivered from the bench. These include dissents in the voting rights decision of Shelby County v. Holder, the gender equity case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire Company Co., and the affirmative action case of Ricci v. Stefano.

Our nation has lost its north star for justice tonight. As we move forward in the weeks and months ahead, we must honor Justice Ginsburg’s memory and extraordinary contributions and remember that the Supreme Court is the ultimate guardian of all of our civil rights and liberties.

Jaime Harrisson criticizes Lindsey Graham for flip flopping on Supreme Court stance

Jaime Harrison, Lindsey Graham's Democratic challenger in the South Carolina senate race called out Graham for his hypocrisy when it comes to the process of picking a new supreme court justice in an election year.

If there’s a Supreme Court opening in the “last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait ’til the next election” to confirm a new justice, Graham swore in a 2018 Atlantic interview.

If he ever contradicted that vow, “I want you to use my words against me,” Graham challenged the media and the public.

But on Saturday, after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, Graham tweeted, "I will support President @realDonaldTrump in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg."

Jaime Harrison took to Twitter to respond to Graham's hypocrisy.

My grandpa always said that a man is only as good as his word. Senator Graham, you have proven your word is worthless.

When people show you who they are, believe them.

Lindsey Graham has shown us that he's running for political power. I'm running to represent the people of South Carolina.

New Non-Profit Organization Launches To Advance Blacks In Sports

Founder, Gary Charles, fosters partnership with high profile individuals to launch Advancement of Blacks in Sports, Inc. (ABIS), a newly established non-profit organization with a mission to connect and inspire people to boldly advocate for racial, social, and economic justice for Blacks in sports. ABIS works to foster a culture of equity and inclusion in all aspects of sports that lead to racial, economic and social justice.

Since the tragic death of George Floyd, Mr. Charles has meticulously identified and partnered with a unique collaborative team of leading African American professionals in sports, music, law and business to assist in the normalization of equal rights and fair treatment of Black people. Such notables are Ben Crump, Esq. (Civil Rights Attorney), Chuck D. (Public Enemy), Tracy McGrady (Former NBA), Marquis "Bo" Porter, former MLB Player/Bo Porter's Future All-Star Development Academy), Penny Hardaway (Former NBA/current Head Coach University of Memphis), Leonard Hamilton (Florida State University, Men's Head Basketball Coach), Dawn Staley (Former WNBA, Hall of Famer Women's Head Coach University of South Carolina, and National Champion), C. Vivian Stringer (Hall of Famer and Women's Basketball Coach at Rutgers University), Michael Hausfeld, Esq. (Top Human Rights Lawyer in the U.S.), Richard Lapchick (Human Rights Advocate) and Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A., the Largest Minority and Women-Owned Law Firm in the U.S., (Heather Palmore, Esq. and Noemi Baez, Esq., General Counsel).

Keys to Victory for ABIS include eliminating inequitable hiring practices, improving economic opportunities for minority-owned business at sporting events, generating knowledge of Black History, promoting voter registration and participation, and protecting student-athletes. The Advancement of Blacks In Sports, Inc., currently integrates, but is not limited to the following sports: Basketball, Track and Field, Baseball and Football.

Mr. Charles notes, "The passing of John Thompson means another American icon has passed away. One of the best ways to honor him is for us to continue the legacy he started. We have not been fully embraced in the board room, have not been offered a substantial amount of head coaching positions, and have been consistently blocked out of revenues earned through contracts specific to athletics. It's time for advancement!"

ABIS is particularly focused on the development and holistic growth of the intercollegiate athlete and the recent (NCAA), Federal and State legislation that affects academic and athletic experiences of student athletes. Overall, ABIS seeks to align with student-athletes and other professionals who are willing to use their voices for the betterment of all Blacks in sports.

For more information: weareabis.org/