Deion Sanders-coached team nixes preseason game at NFM

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A legend won’t be making a planned homecoming after all.

Dallas-based Triple A Academy, coached by Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, has pulled out of a preseason game scheduled for Aug. 18 at North Fort Myers High School, where Sanders starred for the Red Knights in the 1980s.

The charter school couldn’t get approval to travel from the Texas high school athletic association, leaving North Fort Myers scrambling to find a preseason opponent with little more than two weeks to spare. The sudden cancellation resulted in disappointment for those who wanted to see the former two-sport star once again compete in front of a local audience.

“Everyone was so excited,” student Danielle Atkinson said. “Even the coaches were excited to have that opportunity so all the scouts could come and it would bring more opportunities for all the players to show them what they got.”

North Fort Myers coach Earnest Graham, who like Sanders is a former NFL player, said Sanders approached him months ago about staging the game.

“He’s always just stayed connected and actually it was something that he spearheaded, in terms of, ‘I want to come back to the community. This is a great opportunity with you coaching there at North. I want to be able to connect back to the community. Let’s find out a way we can get this done,'” Graham said.

The schools are already working toward a way to have a game between the teams next year instead, Graham said. The matchup was to have been part of a larger celebration planned around Sanders’ return to the community.

“We were going to honor him,” Graham said. “We were going to have a banquet here. He would have got presented the key to the city here, so it’s just something we’re going to push for another time.”