Deion Sanders announces eight new fines for Colorado players that could cost them $18k

Following a disappointing 3-9 campaign in 2025, Deion Sanders is shaking up his program.

The Colorado head coach and Hall of Famer is leaning further into his professional model for college football.

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In a move that has raised a few antennae across the sport, Sanders recently unveiled a strict new disciplinary code for the 2026 season that uses financial penalties to enforce accountability.

For a player who struggles with punctuality or discipline, the costs are staggering. A single bad week under the new “NIL Fine” system could cost a student-athlete nearly $18,000 in total penalties.

Sanders presented the new “Player Accountability” slide to his team, emphasizing that since players are now receiving significant NIL compensation, they must be held to a professional standard.

The new fine structure is tiered by the severity of the infraction, starting with heavy penalties for major lapses like public/social media misconduct, which carries a price tag of up to $5,000, and missing practice, which costs players $2,500.

General team rule violations can also reach $2,500, while skipping film sessions or meetings results in a $2,000 deduction.

Attendance in the weight room is equally scrutinized, with $1,500 for missing strength and conditioning and a $1,000 penalty for simply being late to those sessions.

Even minor lapses in punctuality or presentation are costly; players face $500 for being late to practice, $1,000 for being late to treatment and $1,500 for completely blowing it off, $500 for unprofessional dress, and $400 for tardiness to team meetings.

If a player were to commit one of each of these infractions, they would face an eye-watering bill of nearly $18,000.

For high-profile transfers or starters with six-figure NIL deals, the fines may be a deterrent; for walk-ons or those with smaller deals, such a week would be financially devastating.

The logic behind the move is simple, according to Coach Prime: the era of the “amateur” student-athlete is over and if they are going to be paid like pros, then they are going to be treated like pros.

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He also addressed cultural issues within the locker room, specifically banning the use of profanity in common areas and demanding a higher level of respect toward the women working within the program.

Additionally, Sanders took aim at the “transfer portal culture,” explicitly forbidding players from wearing gear from their former schools.

“It’s disrespectful,” Sanders said during Well Off Media‘s latest production. likening it to a spouse wearing an ex-partner’s clothes.

“That would be like your lady who you have currently wearing her ex-boyfriend’s stuff. How do you feel about that? She is sitting up here with a shirt on that has her ex’s name.

“That’s how I feel about that when I see you coming to the cafeteria. You eat our food with your last team on it? Obviously, if you wanted to stay there, you should have stayed.”

While the fines are intended to build discipline, they have already raised red flags among legal experts.

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Because college athletes are not currently classified as employees and do not have a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), critics argue that a state university coach may not have the legal authority to fine a student or seize their NIL earnings.

Legal analysts suggest that if these fines are deducted directly from NIL contracts, many of which are handled by third-party collectives, the university could face lawsuits regarding labor laws and breach of contract.

Regardless of the potential legal battles, Sanders is sending a clear message: the honeymoon phase in Boulder is beyond over.

As Colorado enters 2026, the price of playing for Coach Prime has never been higher—literally.