Colorado had different jersey retirement standards a few years before Travis Hunter's Shedeur Sanders.

Amid the recent controversy over Jersey’s digital retirement, the University of Colorado has different standards for when to qualify for such honors.

By 1990s standards, a player was required to graduate from college first.

But that's not the case with Colorado two-way football star Travis Hunter or Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (Deion's son). Both jerseys retired on April 19 but have not graduated, a sports department spokesman said.

The university said the decision on retired players’ jersey numbers is at the discretion of the athletic department and the current head coach. That's the policy, which leaves some former Colorado players with no policy at all.

"For them, for them, the process of not having a digital retirement is Asinine," former Colorado guard Michael Jones told USA Today Sports. "It's totally asinine."

It is not clear when the standards will change. University officials downplayed previous graduation standards, saying it was never a specific policy, but "a preference of academic consultants at the time."

But the former Colorado player said the current lack of standards for determining retired players’ jersey numbers is that the university has rebounded less than four months after the final game of the CU uniform after less than four months after the number of Hunter and Hunter and Shedeur Sanders that decided to retire. The former players said they felt the decision of retired Hunters and Sanders' jersey numbers was "premature" and "rush" while overlooking the players of the team that won the 1990 national championship. Jones called it a "serious erasure of our football legacy" in a Facebook post.

By the way, the CU does have specific written eligibility requirements that qualify players for the Track and Field Hall of Fame, although the honor is less prestigious than the retirement jersey number. In order to qualify for the CU Hall of Fame, players who have been at least 10 years of age must be removed from the CU game and must retire from Pro Sports. Winners are voted by the committee.

Former Colorado quarterback Darian Hagan told USA Today Sports that the Jersey retirement decision “should be a policy.” "It should not be at the discretion of the athletic director and the head coach. The head coach is here. The head coach is gone. The ad is here, the ad is gone... We have a policy. Where is the policy? We need to comply with it."

Darian Hagan

Hagen said Cu's decision to retire the number of Hunters and Shedeur Sanders was "shocked", but that's not because he thought the players were not worth it. He thinks they deserve "one day".

“We’re always told there’s a waiting period,” said Hagen, now San Diego State’s guard coach. "There is a policy. It has to be voted on. No one has ever told me it is decided by the athletic director or head coach. It's shocking news for me. It's unbearable."

After retiring from college, Sanders (No. 2) and Hunter (No. 12) (No. 12), USA Today Sports then reviewed CU's Jersey retirement policy and obtained Hagen's view, who has not quoted a quote on the subject before and has been considered a well-deserved candidate and a candidate for his retirement. He led the Buffalo to the 1990 national championship and had a 28-5-2 record as a starting quarterback in three seasons, including a 20-0-1 record at the Big Eight meeting. He won three consecutive league titles in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

Shedeur Sanders, by contrast, set over 100 school records but started quarterbacks with a 13-11 record in two seasons, not including the last game he missed in 2023 with an injury.

Jones said of Shedill’s victory record: “Thirteen and (eleven) have no ratings; I don’t care how many records he created.” “The greatest quarterback in CU history is estimated to be – sorry, Darian Hagan.”

Former captain Jones joined Hagan in 1989 for Colorado State, finishing the game 11-1.

Previous processes include voting and graduation

In May 1996, Today Reporter wrote an op-ed for Colorado Daily, analyzing the prospect of Hagan's third place retirement after graduation in 1996. The article cites graduation criteria and says the decision to call for a player’s player number to be awarded to honors and a committee, and requires the player’s player number to be a honors committee, which is then voted by the athletic department.

This information comes from Dave Plati, then director of CU Sports Information.

"Once I get this diploma, I'm sure he will be nominated," Plati said in a column published on the day of graduation on May 17, 1996.

Hagen never received this honor. Prior to Shedeur Sanders and Hunter, Cu had only retired four jersey numbers in football, and has only retired since 1970. Salaam is not yet graduated, but died in 2016. CU previously retired No. 24 of Byron White in 1938, Joe Romig at No. 67 of 1963 and No. 11 of Bobby Anderson in 1970.

Plati recently said the fact that Salaam has not graduated from CU “has nothing to do with him” and did not retire his jersey number before he passed away. “It was never recommended at the time,” he said.

“We never have a policy on the number of retirees,” Plati said after his recent jersey figure retirement. "I think the five we retired before Lashaan (three footballs, two men's basketballs) is at the discretion of the head coach. Anyone who really knows that it's long gone."

Plato attributed previous graduation criteria to a former academic assistant sports director who “graduated very much at the time because it was a requirement for any post-professional honors.”

'This is not a hatred for Shedeur'

Hagen said the policy requirements for this honor should be "absolutely" including graduation, in addition to considering the player's job and championship victory. Hagan worked in professional football after playing last season in CU in 1991, before returning to graduate in May 1996.

According to CU, Hunter, who won the Heisman Trophy last year, applied for graduates in the fall of 2025. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars and ranked second in the NFL draft last week.

Shedeur said on a YouTube show in January that he hopes to graduate by the end of the semester in May. The Cleveland Browns picked him in the fifth round.

His father and coach Deion Sanders attributed it to his son's honor.

"He said Shedill got all this hatred because his last name was Sanders," Jones said. "If his son's last name was not Sanders, it wouldn't have happened."

Jones, now an elected representative for the Virginia Legislature, said that even though Jones' son Jalon Jones had previously played for Deion Sanders for Jackson State and transferred the Sanders in 2021, it wasn't personal with the Sanders.

"It's not Shedeur's hatred," Michael Jones said. "I don't care how much statistics you get. It's all about victory."

Jones added that Deion Sanders did “excellent work” in CU.

Hagen tries to call Rick George

Deion Sanders, who was hired in CU in December 2022, suggested the recent decision to retire the jersey was made by CU sports director Rick George. Sanders questioned the need to wait, especially after Cu didn't retire Salaam's phone number until his death.

"I'm grateful to Rick shoot and keep going, we all know, we all know it's inevitable," Sanders said.

"Recognizing the achievements of Heisman Trophy champions and record quarterbacks, now ushers in this new era of CU football, which does not harm past achievements," the statement said. "Instead, this adds to the legacy of rich copper football for those who have worn CU uniforms for years."

Former CU guard Chad Brown, Hagen's former teammate, said the retirement decision was “invisible to the greatness of the past, especially the national champions.

"I would have made Darian Hagan the number one, and his phone number retired, of whom I symbolize this time and become my first choice," Brown told USA Today Sports.

Hagen said his reaction to the CU decision was not personal.

"I just thought about the pride and tradition of Colorado buffalo," Hagen said. "That's what I think. It seems to have diminished."

Hagen said he tried to call George after learning of his recent jersey retirement but was unable to connect with him. He wanted to tell him something.

“We just put history aside,” Hagen said he wanted to tell him. "We're going with us now and now. Now and now will disappear. We've won the national championship and these things will last forever. That's what I'm going to tell him."

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com