Deion Sanders gives Sapp new title, office at Colorado

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has appointed his friend and fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp to join his staff in Boulder as senior quality control analyst – an off-the-field job that adds to the considerable NFL experience on the staff.

Sanders introduced Sapp, 51, at a team meeting Sunday, as documented on Well Off Media, the YouTube channel of Deion Sanders Jr. Sapp, a former NFL defensive tackle, has little coaching experience but hit it off with Colorado defensive linemen during trips to Boulder last year to see Sanders. Sanders has described him as a big “teddy bear” and wanted to add him to a staff that includes new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, the former defensive backs coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

“Senior quality control analyst, it’s a mouthful, and you’ll hear me before you see me most of the time,” Sapp told the team. “But what we gonna do is, big fellas – stance, alignment and assignment. … We’re gonna pour concrete because you know I like nice stuff. And we’re building mansions here, so that’s why I’m here – to help you build your mansion.”

As an analyst, Sapp would not be allowed to coach on the field during games. Such positions in college football generally come with relatively little compensation but have been used by teams to add to the brainpower of the operations. Last year, former NFL head coach Pat Shurmur earned $50,000 as an analyst at Colorado before being promoted to offensive coordinator, a job that now pays him $800,000.

The move comes mid-semester after months of proclamations by Sanders that Sapp would join his staff, which also raised concerns among those who support domestic violence survivors in Colorado.

The university didn’t immediately confirm the hiring Monday to USA TODAY Sports, but Sapp addressed the team by giving his title and office number in the football building.

Sapp was fired by the NFL Network in 2015 after being arrested on misdemeanor charges of assaulting and soliciting a prostitute in Phoenix. That same year, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor domestic battery in Las Vegas.

Colorado finished 4-8 in Sanders’ first year.