David Hookstead
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Political leaders in Jackson, Mississippi are doing everything possible to keep Deion Sanders in town.
The Tigers are currently 5-0 and speculation is swirling that multiple major Power Five teams might be interested in Sanders‘ services. While JSU definitely can’t match the salaries of traditional powers, the city is trying to upgrade the facilities to woo him into staying.
The city council in Jackson approved a resolution backing a new football stadium for the Tigers during a Tuesday night meeting, according to WLTB.
“Maybe if we can show, as a state, that we are committed to him staying, and to the new stadium, maybe it would help encourage him to stay,” Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes explained after the resolution was passed.
There doesn’t appear to be any timeline for when a new stadium could be built.
Will Deion Sanders stay at Jackson State?
While this is certainly a significant gesture from the city of Jackson, it’s hard to imagine this will be enough to keep Deion Sanders at the FCS level.
It takes years for stadiums to be built. It’s not something that happens overnight. Power Five teams are interested today.
There’s speculation about Sanders going up to the FBS at the end of the year. How is a stadium that might not exist until 2025 going to impact the situation? It seems like it won’t.
Will Sanders stay at JSU? It remains to be seen, but this likely won’t change much. It’s simply not going to happen fast enough to have an impact.
This s a “prime” opportunity for Sanders to show he is totally committed to helping black people, specifically HBCU. These black multi millionaire athletes talk a good game but usually throw a few dollars at the community and call it a day. Sanders doesn’t need the money. Stay and prove you are different.