Late to practice? That's $500 as Deion Sanders institutes bigger fines for violating team rules

For the Colorado Buffaloes, there's a stiff price to pay for being late to football practice: a $500 fine.

Not showing up at all? That's a $2,500 penalty.

Coach Deion Sanders is cracking down on violations of team rules with heftier fines for his players. Fresh off a 3-9 season, Sanders unveiled his fine structure during his first meeting with the team last Friday. The fees are seen in the background of a video posted by “ Well Off Media," the social media company run by his oldest son, Deion Jr., that chronicles the team.

It's not connected to name, image and likeness licensing agreements, and not related to on-field performance. It’s strictly for violating team rules, which is permissible, according to the school.

This isn't the first time Sanders has enacted a fine system. It's just now more costly.

Other fines that could be assessed include $2,000 for being a no-show to a meeting or film session ($400 for being late), $1,500 for not showing up to a strength and conditioning workout, $1,000 for being late to treatment ($1,500 for a no-show), up to $2,500 for a violation of team rules and up to $5,000 for public or social media misconduct.

Sanders also banned profanity outside of the meeting room and especially in the dining area because, “we're not the only ones in the cafeteria. You need to be respectful.” In addition, Sanders stressed the importance of being respectful to women.

One of his biggest forbidden items was directed at transfers: T-shirts, sweatshirts or any other gear of their former team.

“That's disrespectful,” Sanders said in the video. “That would be like your lady that you have currently wearing her (ex-boyfriend's) stuff. How do you feel about that? She's sitting up there with a shirt on that had her (ex-boyfriend's) name. ... That's how I feel about that when I see you come into the cafeteria — you eat our food with your last team on. Obviously, if you wanted to stay there, you should've stayed.”

Sanders had his staff introduce themselves at the meeting, including his head of security, Michael Rhodes. He revealed he fields about five death threats a day and warned the team about being mindful of who they let into the building.

“Everybody's trying to get to Coach Prime," Rhodes said. “Those people trying to get to him, not all of them have good intentions.”

New offensive coordinator Brennan Marion briefly talked to the team as well. He’s implementing the high-tempo, run-oriented “Go-Go” system for quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis to run.

“Really, what I want to talk to you guys about is that there’s no Plan B, fellas,” Marion said in the video. “One great year can change our lives, everybody in this room. It’s not my offense. It’s our offense.”

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FILE - Colorado head coach Deion Sanders stands on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college football game Nov. 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

MOSCOW (AP) — Syria’s interim leader arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for his second visit in less than four months for talks expected to focus on the future of Russian military bases in the country.

Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa first visited Russia in October. He led a swift rebel offensive in December 2024 that ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad, who enjoyed Moscow’s support for years as his government fought a devastating civil war.

Russia, which in recent years has been focused on the fighting in Ukraine and kept only a small military contingent in Syria, didn’t try to counter the rebel offensive. It gave asylum to Assad and his family after he fled the country.

Despite having been on opposite during the civil war, the interim government in Damascus has signaled readiness to develop ties with Moscow in apparent hopes it could help rebuild the war-shattered country and offer a way to diversify its foreign policy.

For the Kremlin, it’s essential to keep its naval and air bases on Syria's coast, the only such outposts outside the former Soviet Union that are crucial for maintaining Russia’s military presence in the Mediterranean. Russian authorities have voiced hope for negotiating a deal to maintain the Hmeimim air base and the naval outpost in Tartus.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the meeting between President Vladimir Putin and al-Sharaa that “all issues related to our military's presence in Syria will be discussed in the talks.”

In recent days, Russian forces have begun pulling out of positions in northeastern Syria in an area still controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces after the group lost most of its territory in an offensive by government forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the grave of his brother, who died as a child during the siege of Leningrad, during a commemoration ceremony at the Piskaryovskoye Cemetery, where most of the Leningrad Siege victims were buried, marking the 82nd anniversary of the World War II battle that lifted the Nazi siege of Leningrad, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (Alexei Danichev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)