Three weeks after announcing Deion Sanders would be inducted into the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor, the team is set to honor the future Hall of Famer at halftime tonight against the Baltimore Ravens. Prime has also been honored throughout the day, spending lunch doing things like this:
At @DeionSanders luncheon. Mr. Blank just spoke about his achievements & now Mayor Kasim Reed is speaking about the impact he has on Atlanta
Niki Noto
FalconsNNoto
In a video interview with Falcons media producer Jay Adams, Sanders describes being drafted by Atlanta as a dream come true, saying it felt like he hand-picked the city. He also mentions looking up to Falcons center Jamie Dukes, cornerback Bobby Butler, and safety Scott Case, his favorite moments as a Bird, moonlighting with the Atlanta Braves, and buying Gucci watches for his punt return unit. Sanders apologists, such as yours truly, will enjoy this line:
This is the only place I've ever called home. In countless interviews, people have asked me, 'What place do you call home?' And it's right here.
So why'd he leave us? The story's the same as it was 15 years ago -- tight-fisted and shortsighted ownership. Though he thankfully didn't have anything to say about former owner Rankin Smith today, he did say that if Arthur Blank had owned the team in the 1990s, he never would have left Atlanta.
Prime will be the eighth Falcon to earn a permanent banner in the Georgia Dome rafters. Now dance with me: