Following his team’s victory against Arizona, Colorado football coach Deion Sanders took a moment during the postgame press conference to speak directly to a former U.S. President.

“President Obama means a lot to me,” Sanders remarked after Colorado triumphed over Arizona with a score of 34-7. “I have deep admiration and respect for him. But I heard what he said, you know?”

Barack Obama had referred to Sanders’ team during a campaign event supporting Vice President Kamala Harris the day before, addressing the audience in Tucson to make a connection with the crowd.

“When we landed, we noticed Colorado’s buses at the airport,” Obama commented, eliciting some mixed reactions. “I know Colorado has a few standout players. However, I’m aware you guys have beaten them twice. So don’t underestimate the Wildcats tomorrow.”

Although Obama’s comments were light-hearted, Sanders seemed to take them personally and brought them up unprompted. In Saturday’s match, Colorado demonstrated they have multiple key players, including two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, although Hunter was absent from the second half. Shedeur had a modest performance, passing for 250 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Still, the Buffaloes (5-2) showcased their dominance, leading 28-7 at halftime.

“President, I heard your remarks, man,” joked Sanders. “Come on, really? That’s why I choose to steer clear of politics. My focus is on people. Politicians often engage in political strategies, and he had to navigate those while he was here and suggest that they have only two good players. We have far more than just two top players. But being in Tucson, he had to show support for that.”

Sanders acknowledged that “someone provided him some solid statistics,” referring to the claim that Arizona had defeated Colorado in their last two encounters prior to Saturday.

“But President, come on man,” he added. “You’re my guy. I appreciate and love you, but c’mon, man. God bless you. My affection for you remains.”