Deion Sanders is once again putting his Christian faith in the spotlight, but this time, a brief prayer at a postgame press conference has sparked a larger debate among believers about speaking in tongues.

The University of Colorado head football coach and NFL Hall of Famer opened his press conference Saturday following the Buffaloes’ 52-21 win over Weber State by speaking in tongues for about 10 seconds. The moment quickly spread across social media, where Christians debated whether Sanders’ public display was biblical.

Sanders later explained that he had just finished delivering a stern message to his players and was still frustrated despite the convincing victory.

“I had just come from addressing the team, and I lit them up, so I had to calm down,” Sanders said Tuesday. “And the only way I know how to calm down is to pray in the spirit.”

Sanders also pushed back against suggestions that the viral moment was meant to attract attention.

“So, you know, it’s not a gimmick. There’s not a ‘look at me.’ No. No. That’s real,” he said.

The explanation did not end the theological debate.

Evangelical commentator Jon Root criticized Sanders’ prayer on X, calling it “nonsensical babbling” and “not Biblical at all.” Others came to Sanders’ defense, arguing that scripture supports speaking in tongues and distinguishes between personal prayer and a message delivered publicly to a congregation.

The disagreement reflects a longstanding debate among Christians over the spiritual gift of tongues. Some Christians believe the gift described in the New Testament continues today, while others believe it either ceased after the apostolic era or should only be practiced under specific biblical guidelines.

First Corinthians 14 is frequently at the center of that discussion. The Apostle Paul writes that “anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God” and that such a person “edifies themselves.” In the same chapter, however, Paul emphasizes intelligibility and order when spiritual gifts are exercised in a gathered church.

Sanders has made clear that praying in tongues is not new for him. He said Tuesday that he has practiced it in other circumstances, including before undergoing surgery.

“That’s what I do,” Sanders said. “I love the Lord with all my heart, and I’m not scared to speak it in front of anybody, anywhere, at any time.”

His faith has been a public part of his life for decades. Sanders has previously said he turned to Christ after a suicide attempt in 1997. He has also spoken about relying heavily on prayer during a serious 2021 health crisis involving blood clots in his leg.

Reflecting on that hospitalization in 2022, Sanders recalled the “quiet cries at night” and the time he spent “speaking in tongues” and praying while facing the possibility of losing his leg.

For Sanders, the moment appears to have been another expression of a prayer practice he has followed for years. For Christians watching, however, those 10 seconds have reopened a much older conversation about what the Bible teaches about speaking in tongues.