Just like a moth to the flame, Warren Sapp is back in the world of football.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers great has been through a whirlwind off the field over the last decade, from financial and legal troubles casting a shadow over his post-playing days. It seems he's starting to work his way back with his potential redemption tour starting under the bright lights of Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes program.
It was rumored last year that Sapp would be joining Sanders as a member of the defensive coaching staff, although that news sort of fizzled out. The news popped back up on Sunday when it was not only officially confirmed that Sapp would be joining the Buffs but he made his official debut with the team.
He did so in a way you'd fully expect him to -- and be disappointed if he didn't.
Warren Sapp officially joins Deion Sanders' coaching staff at Colorado
The move to hire Sapp was made official this week, as he made his debut in a team meeting exactly how you'd expect him to. The Hall of Famer dapped up a few players while shooting some stone cold -- and maybe motivating? -- looks at others.
Now there’s two Gold Jackets in #Boulder #Colorado . . . Coach Warren Sapp @WarrenSapp has arrived at @CUBuffsFootball - the Senior Quality Control Analyst is here to help #CoachPrime build a championship program! #SappNotFishing pic.twitter.com/iVn9UPrzFP
— Thee Pregame Show (@theepregameshow) March 31, 2024
Looking back on his career there are a lot of things we'd probably have liked to see Sapp change over the course of the last decade-plus, but it's nice to see that his swagger hasn't dulled since his playing days ended.
Of course, we were reminded of how blustery he can be when he defended the Bucs while openly feuding with Keyshawn Johnson earlier this year.
Sapp has largely existed away from the game since retiring back in 2008, with the closest he's come to remaining tethered to football being his work at NFL Network. That came during a pretty tough time in his life, as financial and legal troubles knocked him down.
Everything seems to point toward Sapp getting his life back together. He earned a sports management degree last year which allows him to join Sanders' staff at Colorado. It could be the first step toward Sapp getting back into the game as a coach, with a perfectly well-lit opportunity sitting right in front of him at a high-profile program.
Who knows, he might even end up making his way back to Tampa Bay one day.