POWER, MONEY, & SEX - How Success Almost Ruined My Life

POWER, MONEY, & SEX

How Success Almost Ruined My Life

by Deion Sanders

Nashville: Word Publishing, 1998, $21,99

In early 1997, Deion Sanders seemed to have it all, but inside he was in the depths of despair. He had batted .533 in the 1992 World Series while playing for the Atlanta Braves, was with the San Francisco 49ers when they won Super Bowl XXIX (1995) and with the Dallas Cowboys when they won Super Bowl XXX (1996). He was the only athlete in history to play in both a World Series and a Super Bowl in the same season. He did commercials - once he was on five different ones at the same time. He wrote and performed rap songs; one, "Must be the Money," made the top ten charts. He had parties, women, expensive jewelry, but no peace. Ten minutes after buying a $275,000 Lamborghini sports car, he realized he was empty, looking for the answers in the wrong places. On top of this, his wife was suing him for divorce and refusing to come with the kids to Cincinnati where he was playing for the Reds.

At the top of his career, Deion was in mental agony. His thoughts turned to suicide. Although he already had a will, he wrote out another one in longhand. He looked for ways to end his life. Once he stood on the edge of a highway with cars whizzing by at 50 - 60 mph, thinking he could jump in front of one of them. He stopped - it would be too messy and too cruel to whoever hit him. When he finally came to actually attempting suicide, he jumped into his black Mercedes and barreled out the garage, nearly running over his close friend and attorney, Eugene Parker, who was trying to stop him. He turned the radio all the way up, and of all things, the song that blared out was Kirk Franklin's "Conquerors," which Deion really liked. It was about overcoming adversity through the power of God's love. "Oh, yeah!" he thought, "what kind of conqueror am I?" He sped to a spot he had seen earlier where the road was near a cliff. He jerked the car off the road and skidded to a stop on the loose gravel, sending up a cloud of dust. He hesitated for a second or two, steeled himself, and then rammed the accelerator to the floor. The car leapt out over the edge of the cliff, hung in midair for a moment, and then plunged down.

What drove this millionaire athlete to a suicide attempt? Interestingly, it started with the prayers and sacrifices of his mother and grandmother. In 1965, Deion's mother, Connie, graduated from Madison High School in Albany, Georgia. She went to Edison College, Fort Myers, Florida, where she met the flashy and handsome Mims "Buck" Saunders. They married a year later, but were divorced by the time Deion was three years old. Buck was personable, but no family man. From Buck's example, Deion learned the dangers of doing drugs.

Connie worked as a cleaning woman, often holding down two jobs, in order to give Deion the opportunities he needed to develop his marvelous athletic abilities. Deion realized her sacrifices - and his potential. He promised that when he made it big he would build her a million-dollar house. Later, Connie married Will Knight, a much steadier man than Buck. From Will, Deion learned the dangers of drink.

When Deion graduated from high school, colleges around the U.S. offered him athletic scholarships and the Kansas City Royals drafted him. He chose to play for Bobby Bowden of Florida State University (FSU). Bowden would later write More Than Just a Game (1994), a book about being a coach and a Christian. At that time Deion had been a churchgoer and read at least one verse from the Bible each day, but was no Christian. While Deion was at FSU, they played in four bowl games. In is junior year he was drafted by the New York Yankees.

One day someone handed him a sports magazine showing National Football League salaries. His eyes bulged out: quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs made big money, but corner backs, his position, didn't. How could he keep his promise to his mom? Deion decided he needed a gimmick, an image that would increase his marketability. He created and played "Prime Time," an egotistical, flamboyant, arrogant, cocky, and outspoken dude. It was not that hard a role to assume because part of this character was Deion and the rest was his biological father, Buck, whom he had stayed close to in spite of the divorce. It worked. In time, Deion was able to build that million-dollar house for his mom.

Fame and fortune are two false gods of our culture. Too many people today waste their lives following them, thinking they will bring true happiness and inner peace. When Deion achieved success and acclaim, he discovered the lie that money brings happiness. By the world's standards, he had it made; but inside he knew differently. This, the divorce, and other factors were what caused him to gun his car over the cliff. The Mercedes fell on an even keel, hit sliding and rocking, and ended up in a pool of water. There was no tumbling end over end, no awful crash, no explosion; even the radio kept playing Kirk Franklin's music. People came running up, banging on the windows asking if he was okay. He was okay all right - not a scratch.

God had plans for Deion; he brought even more Christians into Deion's life. One was Mark Logan whom Deion knew from the 49ers. Mark happened to be in Cincinnati and met with him. After dinner, Mark shared with Deion about God. Later that night, Deion experienced an "incredible rush of wind" and "awesome lights" in his bedroom. He called out "God, if that's You, take me! Take me Lord." After a while the lights disappeared and it was silent again. Deion got up and opened his Bible to Romans 10:9-10:

"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

These words hit Deion like a ton of bricks - he knew they were for him. He was so excited he had to tell someone. He called Eugene and declared "I got saved."

Deion began to read Christian books and listen to sermons on tape while he worked out. They helped him grow spiritually and to deal with his problems. He gave his first testimony on 10 August 1997 and never felt better in his whole life. Following that were some tests: While he was playing in the outfield during a Reds game in Houston, a loudmouth started yelling "Deion you *#!#?* jerk. You garbage! You suck!" At the end of the inning Deion ran over to the wall where the guy was sitting and said "Hey, man, you know what? God loves you. God bless you!" After that the guy shut up. But the next night a whole group started screaming obscenities at Deion. He went over to them and said "Man, I'm so thankful to be here. God is good, and He loves you, too. God bless y'all!" As he trotted back to his position, one of the guys yelled "Hey, Deion, you don't have to get personal!" Then they shut up.

The attraction of power, money, and sex is still there, but Deion now has the tools to handle them if he uses them well. He has purpose and meaning in his life and is using his fame and fortune to help others. For example, the royalties from this book go to the Potter's House in Dallas, Texas.

I recommend this autobiography to anyone, but especially to those who are putting their careers first, or are playing the lottery, trying to get rich quick.