Ex-Colorado Great Christian Fauria 'Tapped Out' After Shedeur Sanders Jersey Retirement
Fauria said retiring the Colorado QB's number was a “vanity project driven by his father" and criticized Deion Sanders' leadership.
Former Colorado star tight end Christian Fauria has officially had enough of Coach Prime.
Fauria — who won a national championship with the Buffaloes in 1990 and played 13 seasons in the NFL — says he "tapped out" on supporting the program after Colorado retired Shedeur Sanders' jersey number.
"I don't want Colorado to fail — I want them to succeed!" Fauria said in an email to USA TODAY. "But I find the head coach’s priorities off-putting. I officially tapped out in April 2025, when athletic director Rick George allowed the University of Colorado to retire Shedeur Sanders’ No. 2 jersey."
RELATED: Deion Sanders Accidentally Explains The Only Reason Shedeur Sanders Is Having His Jersey Retired
The move has been controversial among former players, especially those from the 1990 national championship era. Before last year, when the Buffs gave both Shedeur and Travis Hunter the honor, Colorado had retired only four football jersey numbers in school history.
Fauria made it clear he has nothing against Shedeur personally, but he doesn't believe the honor was earned.
"Believe me, I can root for Shedeur as a player while still calling his jersey retirement what it was: a vanity project driven by his father," Fauria said. "It’s this strange, twisted loyalty from Sanders die-hards — now spilling over into the NFL — that I want no part of. So I hold my nose and move on."
RELATED: Ex-Colorado Buffaloes Player Not Happy About Retired Numbers
And Fauria's criticism didn't stop at the jersey retirement.
He also ripped Sanders' messaging and leadership style, calling it "confusing and contradictory."
"It flips as fast as the weather at the base of the Flatirons," Fauria said. "One minute it's all empowerment, family and toughness; the next it's excuses, deflections, or bizarre postgame word salads that leave you scratching your head. What boggles my mind most is how reporters rarely challenge him on late-game management or coaching decisions."
Christian Fauria called Shedeur Sanders' jersey retirement a "vanity project driven by his father."
(Getty Images)
It seems, according to Fauria, no one is allowed to criticize or question Coach Prime.
"What I find comical is that any criticism of Deion Sanders gets labeled as ‘hate,’" Fauria said. "Apparently, only blind loyalty is acceptable — no matter how self-serving or self-promoting his personality comes across. Those traits are ones I personally don’t value and never will. Ask anyone who knows me or anyone I played with at any level."
Fauria also emphasized that his criticism has "nothing to do" with his son Caleb, who was on the roster when Sanders was hired in December 2022 before later transferring to Delaware.
For context, Colorado is 16-21 under Deion Sanders, including a 3-9 season in 2025.
Keep that up, and Fauria won't be the only Colorado fan who "taps out."