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Jackson State Coach Deion Sanders blasts NFL for overlooking HBCU players in 2021 draft

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Christopher Hanewinckel-USA Today Sports

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Coach Deion Sanders was disappointed that not one player from an Historically Black College or University (HBCU) qualified for the 2021 NFL Draft.

“Our kids are being neglected and rejected” expressed Sanders through an Instagram post.

He tagged the NFL and its network, along with CBS Sports, NBC, ABC, TV One, the NBA on TNT, Fox Sports, and others. 

Sanders also retweeted The Undefeated’s tweet to show his disappointment in this year’s draft stating, “There were 259 picks in the 2021 #NFLDraft – not a single draft pick featured a player from an HBCU.”

“We should be right there,” the Jackson State University coach said, USA Today reported. “We shouldn’t have a separate combine. That doesn’t make sense to have a separate combine. I was just trying to get us in, but now that I’m involved, and I’m in it, we don’t want separate. We want together.”  

Some fans expressed that the NFL picks based on stats and performance where HBCU colleges aren’t in any of the big conferences and it’s ultimately hard to judge performance when someone is playing for a team such as Alabama vs a HBCU.

But then again, there have been plenty of NFL great pro bowlers and even hall of famers who played at a HBCU making it so there shouldn’t be an excuse for the NFL not to draft from HBCUs.

Although zero HBCU players were drafted in the NFL this year, some have signed with teams as UDFAs, according to The Undefeated.

“HBCUs are a bridge to equality,” said Pro Bowl MVP James “Shack” Harris in the past.

Recently, the NFL officially announced the HBCU Legacy Bowl that will debut February 2022. The HBCU Legacy Bowl is said to give better opportunity and exposure for HBCU players and coaches. This will hopefully increase the chances of more HBCU players to be a part of future NFL Drafts. 

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