When Colorado State coach Jay Norvell fired a shot at Deion Sanders for wearing sunglasses and a hat during interviews, he gave "Coach Prime" some bulletin board material. He also gifted Sanders and Blenders, a sunglasses company that recently collaborated with the Colorado coach, the sales boom of a lifetime.
Just days before the Rams face the Buffaloes on Saturday, Norvell went on his weekly radio show and took an ill-advised jab at Sanders.
"When I talk to grownups, I take my hat and my glasses off," Norvell said. "That's what my mother taught me."
The only person happier to hear that trash talk than Sanders was probably Blenders CEO and founder Chase Fisher. He told USA Today that pre-orders of their new Prime 21 sunglasses have shot through the roof ever since Norvell called out Sanders for wearing his shades all the time.
"We have officially broke the internet today," Fisher said. "The timing of that couldn't have been any better. That comment directed at sunglasses and then us releasing the (Sanders) collection today was peanut butter meets jelly. The timing was insane."
Sanders, who is just as good a businessman as a player or coach, recognized the opportunity and took advantage of the sports world descending upon Boulder, Colorado, this week. Sanders was all over some of the most popular sports shows, and he gifted pairs of Blenders sunglasses to big names like Stephen A. Smith, Pat McAfee, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Sanders also went viral when he surprised his team by giving each player a pair of his new sunglasses. Most people thought that was a response to Norvell's comments. However, Fisher told USA Today that it was just a happy accident. Sanders had already planned to do that before Norvell took aim at the Buffaloes' head coach.
Fisher revealed that the relationship between Blenders and Sanders began when the latter was coaching at Jackson State. Sanders was always wearing flashy shades, and Blenders reached out hoping to partner with him. Prior to the 2023 college football season, the two sides struck a deal, and now Sanders will get royalties from the sales of his Prime 21 sunglasses.
Thanks to Norvell, Sanders might pocket even more money than he could have ever hoped. The feud between the in-state rivals has proven to be a gold mine for Blenders.
"I've never gotten more calls, emails, texts, in the last 24-48 hours and the last two weeks than I have in the last 11 years," Fisher said.
If Sanders and Colorado can take care of business against Colorado State on Saturday night, the team will improve to 3-0, and interest in Coach Prime's eyewear will only continue to climb.
