David Justice says Deion Sanders' Braves stint 'was never a distraction'

Once upon a time in Atlanta, Deion Sanders had the sports world in the palm of his hand.

In 1992, Sanders, who was already a premier defensive back with the Atlanta Falcons, was playing for the Atlanta Braves. On Oct. 11 that year, Sanders played for the Falcons in their Week 6 matchup against the Miami Dolphins and then hopped on a plane to Pittsburgh for the Braves' Game 5 tilt against the Pirates in the National League Championship Series.

The spectacle of Sanders playing in both the NFL and MLB — and, more specifically, the dramatic Sunday in October 1992 when he was present for both teams — caused some criticism. That said, it never came from the Braves dugout.

David Justice, a three-time MLB All-Star and Sanders' teammate from 1991 to 1994, explained how the Braves never had beef with Sanders about him playing both sports on the latest edition of "All Facts No Brakes."

"Deion was never a distraction," he told host Keyshawn Johnson. "Deion was one of the fellas. Otis Nixon was really our starting center fielder, and … Deion was part-time. We understood he was going to be part-time. So, whenever Deion could make it to the team, we loved having him — and when he couldn't, we knew he was off playing football. 

"It was never a problem with us, at all. … The media tried to make it seem like he was a distraction, but that was never the case. … To be able to play two sports at the highest level is incredible."

The aforementioned 1992 season was Sanders' best, as he led MLB with 14 triples in just 97 games. Sanders then hit .533, going 8 for 15 in Atlanta's World Series matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays. All the while, Sanders went on to put together his second consecutive Pro-Bowl campaign with the Falcons.

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