Deion Sanders Breaks Silence on BAFTA Racial Slur Scandal—What He Really Thinks Will Shock You
When the BAFTA Film Awards unfolded with its usual glitz and glam, few expected the unsettling moment that would soon captivate conversations across the country. During the live BBC telecast, a man diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome unexpectedly shouted a racial slur at renowned actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo—an incident that has stirred widespread debate. Stepping into this charged atmosphere, Colorado football coach Deion Sanders voiced his dismay, questioning the timing and implications of the slur with a perspective sharpened by personal experience. On his weekly Tubi talk show, Sanders unpacked the complexities of involuntary tics linked to Tourette’s while also wrestling with the deeply uncomfortable coincidence of the racial slur surfacing during Black History Month and in front of two prominent Black figures on stage. His reflections offer not just critique, but a call for empathy and understanding in a moment fraught with confusion and hurt. LEARN MORE
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders expressed dismay about the recent controversy at the BAFTA Film Awards in which a man with Tourette’s syndrome yelled out a racial slur at two Black actors during a telecast on the BBC.
Sanders was asked about it on his weekly talk show on Tubi with co-host Rocsi Diaz in the episode that aired Feb. 26. Diaz questioned why the slur wasn’t edited out by the BBC and discussed the subject with Sanders, who said he had a previous experience with someone with Tourette’s. Symptoms of it can include involuntary outbursts with profane language known as “tics.”
Advertisement
Sanders, who is Black, called for prayers for people who have such tics but questioned the timing of the slur.
“How can that word come out at that time?” Sanders asked on the show, entitled “We Got Time Today.” He said that slur must be “already in you” and learned if it’s in a person’s vocabulary.
Sanders then added another observation.
“The part two of this is, it conveniently came out when two African-Americans were at the podium,” Sanders said.
Deion Sanders discussed timing of the slur
Famed Black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on the stage at the awards show Feb. 22 when Tourette’s advocate John Davidson yelled out the slur. Davidson was there as the subject of the BAFTA-nominated biopic “I Swear” and was diagnosed with Tourette’s at age 25. Davidson since said in an interview with Variety that he felt “shame” about what happened.
Advertisement
“The most offensive word that I ticked at the ceremony, for example, is a word I would never use and would completely condemn if I did not have Tourette’s,” Davidson said in the interview.
On the Tubi show, Diaz also questioned the timing.
“But do you think it would be triggered if he saw two white people at the podium, though?” she asked.
Sanders responded that what made the situation especially concerning was that it was “with two brothers at the podium and it’s Black History Month.”
Davidson had other outbursts at the BAFTA show
Diaz asked Sanders what he would do if he were on stage at the moment when Davidson yelled the slur.
Advertisement
“I would have made a joke out of it and said, “God bless you’ or something and said, ‘God is good,’” Sanders replied. “Black History Month and that happens to come out? God bless you. sir.”
It was not the only time Davidson made an outburst that night. Davidson noted this in his interview with Variety.
“I would appreciate reports of the event explaining that I ticked perhaps 10 different offensive words on the night of the awards,” he said in Variety. “The (racial slur) was one of these, and I completely understand its significance in history and in the modern world, but most articles are giving the impression I shouted one single slur on Sunday.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado coach Deion Sanders questions BAFTA show racial slur timing
CHECK OUT THE HOTTEST DEALS ON AMAZON!
2025–26 Panini Mosaic Football Blaster Box – Retail Exclusive Mosaic Parallels & Inserts – NFL Trading Cards – Sealed Retail Box
$34.87 (as of February 26, 2026 23:40 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
FB PRIZM (24-25) Mega Box
$76.39 (as of February 26, 2026 23:40 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025 Panini Donruss Elite Football Trading Cards Blaster Box
$38.30 (as of February 26, 2026 23:40 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Topps 2025 Series 2 Baseball MLB Trading Cards, 3 Packs, 14 Cards per Pack, 42 Cards Total
$24.99 (as of February 26, 2026 23:40 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025/26 Topps Match Attax Multipack - Look for a Guaranteed Limited Edition Card
$11.99 (as of February 26, 2026 23:40 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
100 Vintage Baseball Cards in Old Sealed Wax Packs - Perfect for New Collectors
$14.90 (as of February 26, 2026 23:40 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2026 Topps Now Olympics Jack Hughes #18 Golden Goal! 1st Men's Hockey Gold Medal Since 1980 Team USA Hockey Card
$27.50 (as of February 26, 2026 23:40 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025 Topps Chrome Star Wars SuperBox Trading Card Box
$62.98 (as of February 26, 2026 23:40 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2023 Topps Series Two Baseball Trading Cards, 3 Packs, 16 Cards per Pack, 48 Cards Total
$19.75 (as of February 26, 2026 23:40 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Post Comment