Colorado's Alamo Bowl insurance coverage for star players was slight, per report

Deion Sanders made waves with a bold announcement ahead of December's Alamo Bowl against BYU. Colorado had secured record-breaking disability insurance, described it as a “tremendous” step forward for college athletes. Sanders and Colorado athletic director Rick George revealed the details at a joint press conference upon arrival in San Antonio, which benefited the team’s two biggest stars: Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. The announcement was widely celebrated, but has since come under scrutiny.

Sanders claimed that the disability coverage for his son Shedeur and standout player Hunter represented the “highest number of coverage that has ever been covered in college football.” George supported this statement but declined to provide specifics. While the move was lauded as a progressive step for athlete welfare, a subsequent follow up has called into question the magnitude of the accomplishment.

“It was (Sanders’) idea that we should get disability insurance for our student-athletes for this game to ensure that, if something happened, they’d be well taken care of,” George explained during a pre-bowl press conference. “We think it’s great that all of our players are playing in the game, and that’s how all bowl games should be.”

Public records obtained by Sportico reveal that the coverage for Hunter and Shedeur Sanders was not as groundbreaking as initially implied. Both athletes already had $20 million in disability coverage in place for the regular and postseason. Ahead of the Alamo Bowl, Colorado added $1 million of temporary coverage for each player, costing the school $1,030 per player. This raised their total coverage to $21 million for the bowl game, after which the policies reverted to the original $20 million.

The lack of insurance became a focal point after Hunter, widely regarded as one of college football’s brightest prospects, suffered a lacerated liver during a game against Colorado State in 2023. At the time of the injury, Hunter was uninsured, drawing backlash from many who say the injury could've cost the Heisman winner millions in future earnings.

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The report attributed the insurance gap to Sanders’ decision to work with Paradigm Gilbert, a California-based insurance provider, instead of utilizing the university’s previous athletic insurance consultant. The incident highlighted the complexities of arranging disability coverage for athletes and underscored the importance of Sanders’ subsequent efforts.

This revelation significantly undercuts Sanders’ claim of record-breaking insurance. Multiple industry sources have noted that disability policies exceeding $21 million exist for other college football players. Furthermore, while Colorado officials stated that additional coverage was offered to the entire team, records indicate that only Hunter and Shedeur Sanders were policyholders whose premiums were covered by the university.

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The question of disability coverage for Colorado players has been a contentious issue, particularly since Deion Sanders’ arrival as head coach in 2022. Before Sanders, the school hadn’t arranged insurance for a football player since Laviska Shenault in 2019. Coverage of this nature is typically reserved for players expected to be high-round NFL Draft picks, which had been a rarity at Colorado prior to Sanders’ tenure.

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While Sanders’ announcement regarding the Alamo Bowl insurance drew significant media attention, it also raised questions about transparency and actual impact. The records suggest that only Hunter and Shedeur Sanders received school-funded insurance policies, despite Sanders’ claim that multiple draft-eligible players benefited. A university spokesperson told Sportico that coverage was “offered to the entire team,” but declined to clarify how many players actually accepted or qualified for it.

Sanders’ initiative to secure disability insurance for his players represents an important step in addressing athlete welfare, but the fanfare surrounding the Alamo Bowl announcement appears overstated. While Sanders continues to break ground as a coach and advocate for his players, the limitations of the Alamo Bowl coverage—and the lack of transparency about who benefited—underscore the need for a more comprehensive approach to ensuring athlete safety and financial security.