Deion Sanders has been gone from Jackson State for well over a year, but one of the moves he was most vocal on has been settled.
Jackson State and Summitt Management Corporation reached an agreement over a lawsuit filed after JSU opted to pull out of the Southern Heritage Classic contract with two years remaining back in 2022. According to a Freedom of Information Act filed by the Clarion Ledger, an $800,000 settlement was reached for opting out for the 2023 and 2024 games between JSU and Tennessee State.
SMC sought $1.8 million in damages for the 2023 and 2024 games from JSU after it announced that it would not participate in the game back in 2022. JSU entered into a contract with SMC in 2019 to play in the game for five seasons, through the 2024 season. SMC also sought more than $5 million in damages per year from the SWAC which it claims interfered with the deal between JSU and SMC.
Then-JSU head coach Deion Sanders was a consistent critic of the classic game, which started back in 1990 during his two-plus years on the job.
“Seven busses for the band. We have four buses with all our people,” Deion Sanders said back in 2022. “And who else goes? Administration. Hotel accommodations. Food, all that. … By the time we get back, we’re broke.”
The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff replaced JSU in the 2023 Southern Heritage Classic, with Tennessee State winning the game.
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