Nov 16, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders calls in a play in the first quarter against the Utah Utes at Folsom Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

A social media debate began after Colorado Buffaloes coach and NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders traded blows via X with former first-team All-Pro defensive back Asante Samuel on Friday.

The beef stemmed from a recent Sanders interview on NFL Network at Big 12 Pro Day, where “Coach Prime” took a lighthearted dig at the “T-step,” a footwork technique for cornerbacks.

“If one of my players do that, I’m ripping his facemask off,” Sanders joked.

Samuel took exception to these remarks, quoting the video twice over and pointing out the importance of teaching the technique despite Sanders’s status as one of the NFL’s all-time greatest defensive players.

The former New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons cornerback notably linked his defensive back development course “The Art of the Interception” in the more cordial of the two posts, but Samuel took a more mocking tone in the second quote, prompting a response from Sanders.

Many were quick to point out the likely origins of “Tell them what this really about sir,” in Sanders’ response. In 2011, Sanders was asked about Samuel’s chances of wearing a gold jacket, to which he said Samuel had a good career, but one that was not worthy of the NFL Hall of Fame.

Samuel was quick to snap back at these comments, calling Sanders a “hater.”

In 2020, the feud bubbled back to the surface. Sanders again expressed criticism in the T-step, to which Samuel took more subtle shots at Sanders, claiming he lacked technique and that his game-breaking athleticism was heavy-handed in his Hall of Fame consensus.