Jerry Rice on Deion Sanders: 'It Was Goin' Down!'

Jerry Rice talks with Kevin Hart on "Cold as Balls" about how difficult it was to play against Deion Sanders.

Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders are two of the greatest Pro Football Hall of Famers to play at their respective positions.

The former teammates' longtime rivalry mainly was because of the respect and admiration for the other as professionals and people.

Jerry Rice said to Kevin Hart, "I hated that guy, man [Deion Sanders]. Ah, man, we couldn't get along." The two GOATs, were fierce adversaries on the field and in practice. "If Deion was on the opposite side. It was going down the next day," Rice explained.

Let's clarify.  Hate, as Rice puts it, isn't truly hatred.  It was the respect he had for Sanders, as a player and professional.

"Deion was like, one of the fastest defensive backs. I had to double move, triple move - against Sanders - off the line of scrimmage. I had to come to the line with a plan."

Later in the show, Rice mentioned how he and Sanders had resolved their issues with one another.

Their best battles were when Sanders wore the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys jerseys when facing Rice as a 49er.

RICE AND SANDERS AS TEAMMATES

The legends had "10 face-to-face meetings, with six of those wins going to Rice."

Rice and Sanders eventually won a championship together in Super Bowl XXIX when the 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers with a final score of 49-26. Deion Sanders earned the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award that season with six interceptions, 303 return yards, and three touchdowns. His interception returns of "74, 93, and 90 yards made him the first player ever to have two 90-yard interception returns in one season."

Rice had ten catches for 149 yards and three touchdown receptions in Super Bowl XXIX.

HBCU CONNECTION

Deion Sanders is in his second season as head coach of the Jackson State Tigers football team.  His team is 9-1 and will play for the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship against the Prairie View Panthers in Jackson, Mississippi, at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Dec. 4.  

Should Jackson State win the SWAC Championship title and 2021 Celebration Bowl  versus South Carolina State in Atlanta on Dec. 18, the Tigers could be crowned the Black College National Champions.

Jerry Rice played his collegiate football at Mississippi Valley State University before being drafted in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

In a coincidence, Deion Sanders' son, Shedeur Sanders, is a finalist for the 2021 Jerry Rice Award as the FCS top freshman of the year.

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Jackson State (SWAC)

Statistics: 248 of 361 (68.7 percent), 2,971 yards, 28 TDs, 5 INTs; 3 rush TDs (11 games)

COLD AS BALLS

Kevin Hart's "Cold as Balls" episode with Jerry Rice drops Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 11 AM ET/8 AM PT.   The full video will be on the Laugh Out Loud YouTube channel.

Cold As Balls has captivated and humored audiences since its premiere in 2018, earning over 1.34B+ views to date. The franchise quickly became one of the most-watched series across the Internet and an instant breakout success with guests LaVar Ball and Blake Griffin in season one, and continued to see episodes trending #1 Worldwide on YouTube throughout each recurring season with guests such as two-time NBA Champion Lamar Odom, “Fortnite” legend Ninja, WWE champions the Bella Twins, NFL stars Russell Wilson and Donovan McNabb, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, wrestling icon Ric Flair, and others.

New episodes will air every Tuesday on the Laugh Out Loud YouTube channel, Cold as Balls Facebook page, and Hart's Facebook page.