Coach Accuses Deion Sanders and Staff of Tampering with Committed Player

A Division II football coach has accused Deion Sanders and his staff at the University of Colorado of tampering with one of his committed players and violating NCAA rules.

Philip Vigil, head coach at Colorado State University-Pueblo, made the accusation on social media, posting screenshots of alleged text messages between one of his future players and Colorado assistant director of player personnel Devin Rispress.

The messages, which Vigil said were taken from the player's phone, showed Rispress inquiring about the player's commitment to CSU-Pueblo. When the player responded in the affirmative, Rispress allegedly asked if the player would consider switching his commitment.

Vigil posted the screenshots and denounced the Colorado program, including Sanders. He questioned whether the alleged behavior constituted tampering and tagged Sanders in his post.

However, Rispress denied involvement, claiming that someone had impersonated him. He accused Vigil of "catfishing" and suggested that he should have contacted Rispress directly before making the accusations public.

Vigil subsequently deleted the social media post and issued a statement indicating that he had removed it while the NCAA investigated the matter.

"College athletics are changing rapidly, and it is my job to support my players and our program," Vigil wrote. "I have removed my social media post to allow the NCAA to address this situation and similar behaviors in college athletics."

The University of Colorado declined to comment on the allegations. Colorado State University Pueblo expressed support for Vigil and indicated that both the university and the coach anticipated the NCAA's involvement in the investigation.

Vigil and Sanders are both entering their second seasons with their respective schools. Vigil led CSU-Pueblo to an 8-3 record and third place in the conference last year. Sanders' Colorado team went 4-8 after a 3-0 start.

The allegations come amid increasing scrutiny of tampering in college athletics. The NCAA has recently strengthened its rules aimed at preventing coaches from contacting players committed to other schools.

If the NCAA finds Colorado guilty of tampering, the program could face penalties including fines, suspension of coaches, and even forfeiture of wins.