Earlier this month, Deion Sanders, the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes made headlines when he abruptly interrupted a question from Sean Keeler, a writer at the Denver Post. Keeler was subsequently barred from reporting from the Colorado football program. However, this is not the first time Sanders has blocked a reporter.
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It was announced by the program that Keeler would no longer be permitted to ask questions at team events due to unflattering nicknames he had used to refer to Sanders. The reporter has used phrases like “false prophet,” “Deposition Deion,” “Planet Prime,” “Bruce Lee of B.S.,” “the Deion Kool-Aid,” and “circus” in his reporting of Sanders and the Colorado program.
Similarly, in 2021, during Coach Prime’s tenure at Jackson State University as a coach, Rashad Milligan from the Mississippi Clarion Ledger was banned from covering the football team during the Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day.
Just one day prior, Milligan had written an article detailing allegations of domestic violence against Quaydarius Davis, who was touted as one of the top recruits in program history.
The situation escalated when two officials from Jackson State physically prevented Milligan from approaching the team in Birmingham, Alabama. As per LaToya Williams, JSU’s director of football operations, Sanders did not want Milligan to interview his players and coaches.
Sanders’ latest move had even his biggest supporters in the media calling out his actions, with Paul Finebaum seeming particularly displeased with the head coach.
Coach Prime a “bully and a hypocrite”: Finebaum
During a segment on First Take, Stephen A. Smith, along with Shannon Sharpe and Paul Finebaum discussed Colorado Buffaloes’ controversial move to ban Sean Keeler.
Finebaum called Sanders’ response uncalled for and ultimately counterproductive. As a fan, the analyst said he felt “mortified” by his actions and said: “He did this at Jackson State. He wants to have it his way and I find him to be a bully and a hypocrite.”
Finebaum argued that while head coaches have banned media members in the past, the open and transparent way Colorado has handled this situation is concerning to him. He believes that by publicly announcing the ban, Sanders and the university are trying to intimidate other reporters from covering the program in a way they don’t like.
Despite being a vocal admirer of Sanders, Smith also didn’t shy away from sharing his straightforward view that the decision was an overreaction. He iterated that while it’s acceptable to avoid engaging with a reporter, publicly announcing a ban only worsens the situation, calling it, “utterly ridiculous.”
