According to the New York Athletic Club bylaws, any defensive player who wins the Heisman must be a dual-threat player: one who also makes enough offense on offense to remind voters of the QBs and RBs that voters are rooting for like to vote and they usually win this award. That’s how legendary Michigan CB Charles Woodson won the Heisman in 1997 (ahead of betting favorite Peyton Manning), and that’s how Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter edged out Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty on Saturday night. Hunter is an even bigger offensive threat than Woodson, amassing 92 balls and 1,152 yards on offense this season Also serves as the Buffaloes’ shutdown corner. This man is a special talent and the NFL Draft will reward him for it.

Now let’s talk about Hunter’s trainer, who is a total asshole.

Deion Sanders made his name as a coach in Colorado by bringing both Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders with him from his last stop at Jackson State. Like Hunter, Deion was spectacular defensively in college. Like Hunter, Deion pulled double duty: 60 career receptions on offense and a supporting gig as arguably the most dangerous returner the NFL has ever seen. Deion also played in Major League Baseball, making him one of the last multi-sport stars you’re likely to see. Hunter is similarly talented – I haven’t seen him play in the outfield in football at least – which means he will be a guest at appointments with the team that drafts him in April. The Heisman curse eventually ceased to exist when Woodson won the trophy. That’s why I’m excited to see Hunter make the leap and become the type of player we haven’t seen in the NFL since Deion was out there outrunning all opponents.

But that’s the full extent to which I want Hunter to be like his mentor. Sanders was one of the coolest (not to mention the best) players I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. But the man’s on-field legacy has faded over time thanks to his post-NFL antics. A partial list includes a fake high school, a gig at Barstool, a Fuck You pickup truck with its own coal stove, an ongoing power ranking of his own progeny, and his entire college coaching career, which often feels more like an MLM scheme a serious pursuit of sporting glory, even if Sanders won at both stops.

You and I live in a hectic economy, so I can’t blame Sanders for taking advantage of every opportunity he can find to boost his name. Shit, Sanders has been busy since his time in the recording studio. But when I think about Neon Deion now, the hustle and bustle is great all I’m thinking about. Not the Super Bowls. It’s not the boat that returns to the house. Not the generation of quarterbacks who are afraid to throw in his direction. All I see now is a series of business decisions, with the majestic playing career slowly being pushed from memory by all the other noise.

Given that Hunter is Sanders’ protégé, I can’t help but fear that a similar future awaits him decades from now. Sanders has built Colorado’s programming in his own image, complete with a “Coach Prime” sign that has happily become part of every station’s on-air style guide. He treats his weaker players as disposable players, goes out of his way to talk badly about transfers, and he encourages the players he stays connected to do it too. It’s not the most pleasant way to watch someone I loved watching a player continue to grow his bank account and build that brand. However, this isn’t really new, and such ventures have increasingly become a matter of course for ex-athletes who don’t want their money to run out. My affection is collateral damage in this exchange, and I’m sure Deion will sleep well knowing that I think a little less of him than I used to.

But I pray that Hunter doesn’t go down a similar path, even though I know the hectic economy won’t leave us anytime soon. As men like Sanders thrive, it will only become more deeply rooted. But it’s not fair to judge a player by his coach, and I don’t have to worry about Hunter’s future while he’s busy shining on the gridiron. So I’m going to soak up as many gravity-defying picks and breakaway touchdowns as my memory can hold. Because that’s what Hunter deserves, even if he follows his mentor’s example and spends the next act of his life trying to make me forget all this greatness.