Mike Florio primarily writes about the NFL, but he’s not afraid to voice his opinions on a variety of different topics in the football world. And he’s saved some of his strongest words for Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, who begins the 2024 season in a bitter battle with members of the local media.
Coach Prime is coming off a 4-8 season that started as one of the most hyped months in the sport’s history but then plummeted like Wile E. Coyote. Perhaps feeling a little more pressure this season, Sanders has clashed with the local Denver media, acting belligerent at press conferences and brushing off reporters.
This includes DenverPost Columnist Sean Keeler, whom the university accused of “sustained, personal attacks.” According to the Post, Sanders’ contract requires him to speak only to “mutually agreed-upon media outlets.”
And that obviously doesn’t sit well with Florio, who let his anger vent when he rebuked Sanders for his treatment of the local media and his harsh approach to anyone who dared to criticize him.
About Pro Football Talk:
This is really a load of nonsense. Deion doesn’t want to be scrutinized, by anyone. He thinks the media that covers the team should also support the program. Without criticizing or asking tough questions. Even when criticism or tough questions are appropriate.
It goes back to his time at Jackson State University. Deion tried to build a personality cult, not a football program.
Let’s just hope the Post fights back. Colorado is a public university. It shouldn’t be able to shut out important publications, including the state’s largest newspaper.
Unless the Post loudly contests the decision, Deion and the Buffaloes will ultimately be covered by a group of sycophants who would much rather put him up for an AFLAC pitch than dare ask about a time management error.
Florio’s criticism is not the only one Deion Sanders has faced. A Denver sportscaster accused Coach Prime of intimidating local reporters. But Florio’s criticism is perhaps the most caustic. And Florio is right that Sanders’ attempt to control the local media is nothing new. He pulled the same tricks at Jackson State when he Clarion Ledger Reporter at the SWAC Media Day.
As Colorado’s 2024 season progresses, this story will likely unfold like any other football story. If Sanders and Colorado can actually pull off a winning season, his handling of the local media will be a footnote. But if the losses continue to mount, it will only increase the criticism and pressure that will grow into an untenable situation.
Regardless, it is a disturbing pattern surrounding Deion Sanders, and if anyone thinks he could withstand the scrutiny of a job like the Dallas Cowboys (hello Mike Greenberg), perhaps he or she should look at how he handles the pressure in the notoriously tough media market of *checks notes* The city of Boulder in Colorado.
(Pro Football Talk)
