Deion Sanders wasn't actually the motivating force behind Noel Devine's "early & often" media exposure.
This kid came from an absolute trainwreck of a family life (both drug addict parents dead from AIDS) and was glommed onto every several months by more "concerned associates" who wanted to "help". It became a flat out mess.
He ended up moving in with a team-mates family after almost being shot in some street stupidity and fathered two kids by two girls while still in high school. It was the "associates", all hungry for a piece of the Noel pie that put out his internet highlights, which were viewed a gazillion times.
Sanders, who attended the same high school as Devine, began talking with him toward the start of his junior year, and ended up moving Devine down to his place in Texas (there was some type of legal custodial relationship established with Devine's grandmother), where he lasted a just about a week before succumbing to the siren song and incessant cellphone pleas from his "associates", various assorted babymamas and his high school coach becore returning to SW FL.
Deion took the situation in stride and guided him school-wise, away from FSU and Miami but toward West Virginia, for reasons of geographic isolation from the SW FL scene, the mandated academic aid and the system being run at that time, which was a good one for a small back, which he sure is.
I met and spoke at length with this kid when he was a freshman, to ascertain if he was a feasible recruit for us. He wasn't... nuff' said.
My point is that Deion wasn't the promoter, nor was Noel.... his "concerned associates" were, no doubt from the kindness of their unemployed little hearts.
Now back to Marcus Wright...
