Was Chris Brown paying homage to Deion Sanders during the third night of his tour stops with Usher in Atlanta, or was he being petty?
That is the debate that unfolded online among some fans after Brown and Usher performed in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday night, as Brown ended the show wearing a bedazzled version of Sanders’ No. 21 Falcons jersey.
Of course, Brown and Sanders have something in common in that they are both attracted to actress Karrueche Tran, who is the Colorado head coach’s current girlfriend and previously had an on-and-off relationship with the singer from 2011-2015.
On night two of his shows in Atlanta, Brown wore a similar version of the Sanders jersey, except it was the red No. 7 uniform top of former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.
That means it is entirely possible that Brown choosing to wear a Sanders jersey was just a continuation of his decision to shout out past prominent Falcons players while performing.
Some online, though, opted for the messier narrative of why Brown chose to wear Sanders’ uniform, speculating he was trolling the Hall of Famer for being in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend.
“It’s Chris Brown absolutely trolling, wearing the Deion Sanders jersey last night! (laughing emoji),” Threads user @builtwithbrittany wrote in a post that gained traction following the Sunday show. She later wrote in another post that she only intended for her comment to be a joke.
“Y’all its debate happening Is ‘Christopher Maurice Brown” paying homage to Deion “Primetime” Sanders or being petty?” X user @momsAreheros added. “I said paying Homage!!”
Brown and Tran had a contentious relationship after their final breakup in 2015, with things escalating into the courtroom in 2017. That year, Tran filed a restraining order against the R&B act, claiming he had threatened to kill her in text messages and alleging past physical abuse.
A judge granted Tran the five-year restraining order against Brown in 2017, and it expired in 2022. Last April, at the annual music festival Coachella, Brown and Tran appeared to at least have a cordial relationship again, as the ex-couple was photographed talking and laughing with each other.
Sanders and Tran also went public with their relationship last year, when the 38-year-old actress was seen in social media videos posted by the 59-year-old coach’s son, Deion Jr.; Tran supported Sanders while he underwent surgery to remove his bladder after a cancer diagnosis, and she remained by his side even after Sanders told her he would understand if she wanted to leave the relationship due to his health issues.
“[God] knew that we needed each other,” Tran told Sanders in a video they posted online in February. “Especially last year. He knew that we were able to tackle that together and even though you told me you don’t have to stay you can leave. You don’t have to deal with it.”
On the field, Sanders is likely headed for his third losing season in four years at the helm of Colorado. The coach was asked about his feelings on his job security after the Buffaloes fell to 3-6 in a loss to Arizona State over the weekend.
“I don’t think about that, man,” Sanders said per ESPN. “I’m not here for my job. I’m here for these young men. I’m not, I’m not built like that. Like, like, I’m really not. I’m really, really, really not.”
“Like, I want these kids to graduate, to provoke change in their communities and their lives and their families. I ain’t worried about me. I’m good, my brother,” he added.
Brown and Usher are expected to wrap up the five-night Atlanta run of their tour with back-to-back shows at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday. “The R&B Tour” is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 12 in Tampa, Florida.
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