Tracey Edmonds, the longtime fiancee of University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, announced that the couple is splitting up.
Edmonds, 56, announced the breakup in an Instagram post on Sunday night. Sanders, 56, named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year last week, had been with Edmonds for 12 years, according to Sports Illustrated.
“We have mutually decided that it is best for us to move forward in life AS FRIENDS and have made this decision with love in our hearts, respect for each other, and appreciation for the time we’ve shared together,” Edmonds and Sanders wrote in a joint statement on her Instagram page.
“Please keep us in your prayers as we go through this transition. Thank you for being there for us ALL THESE YEARS! We love you and appreciate you SO MUCH!”
In the comments section of Edmonds’ post, Sanders answered, saying that Edmonds had been “a true blessing to me.”
“I appreciate the times we’ve shared and they laughs we’ve had. You are an amazing woman and a tremendous mother,” Sanders wrote. “God bless u with every endeavor and every step u take. You are HER. Tracey-Mack!!!”
Sanders and Edmonds met at a movie premiere party in 2012, People reported. Sanders only chatted briefly with Edmonds, who had produced the movie, but asked a friend to get her business card that night, according to the magazine.
Several months later, Sanders reached out to Edmonds, and the couple discussed “Prime Time’s” vision for a television reality series, People reported.
“I started off thinking I was just going to produce (”Deion’s Family Playbook”),” Edmonds explained, “But as I started working with Deion on the show, we grew quite fond of each other and ended up dating.”
Edmonds announced the couple’s engagement in an Instagram post on Valentine’s Day 2019, according to People.