This is not intended to really defend Prime, but the shit we see on TV and social media is basically what his contract dictates. CU couldn't afford to pay him the money to come there in the first place, so his contract is basically him making money by promoting the program/himself.
(From an article) The breakdown for Sanders’ salary in 2023 is detailed below:
- $500,000 in base salary
- $1.75 million for radio, television, and public appearances
- $1.75 million for promotion and fundraising
- $1.5 million for the development of the student-athlete
So, basically $3.5 million of his $5.5 million comes from non-football related tasks. The reason he is doing all the interviews, the Prime series, the commercials, etc is because that is the only way he is getting paid. He is basically using his name, combined with the CU logo, to get the money owed to him in his contract.
You can compare his contract to Rhule's with the links below, but Rhule's doesn't have any specific breakdown like that of Deion's listed.
Rhule's contract:
Deion's contract: