Nate Burleson shares how Deion Sanders inspired his career

Deion Sanders is on a whirlwind publicity tour for his new book, 'Elevate and Dominate: 21 ways to Win On and Off the Field', this week. He stopped by the set of CBS Mornings to chat with Nate Burleson, Gayle King, and Tony Dokoupil.

Burleson told the story of how he had missed a flight early in his career with the NFL Network and how Sanders addressed him sternly. He said that he needed to step up and prove himself in order to compete for the top jobs. He also gave him a particularly impactful warning. While pointing to his wrist to emphasize skin color, Deion told him “we can’t afford to mess up.”

It was a moment that left Burleson asking Coach Prime, “Why do you care so much about seeing other people shine?” He replied, “That’s what I saw, man. That’s what I saw with my mother. Everyone had a meal when they came to the crib. Everyone had a place to lay their head. And about you... I just want to see the best in you. The saddest thing in this country is when we can see more in somebody than they can see in themselves.”

This was an emotional interview for Sanders as King asked him about the part of his book that mentioned suicidal thoughts. He was playing for the Cincinnati Reds at the time and going through a messy divorce. His ex-wife had been threatening to take away his son and daughter and he was at a very low place 

The circumstances for the Sanders’ family have dramatically improved over the years. On Friday, both of Deion’s oldest children joined him on his book tour stop in Atlanta.

Sanders wraps up his book tour in Boulder on Monday night, the same day the Buffs begin their spring practices.