Deion Sanders is determined to keep negativity out of his life and the Colorado football program. He even had a newspaper columnist barred from asking questions at football events because he felt the coverage was too negative.
Sanders has had a busy summer working on integrating a new offensive line and two new coordinators, while also dealing with the media. As he got ready for the Buffaloes’ season opener against North Dakota State, Sanders was asked on Saturday if he ever felt targeted by negative outside opinions.
“This is a way of life for me,” Sanders said. “You guys act like this is the first time I’ve been shot at, I’ve been lied on, cheated, talked about, mistreated. That’s a gospel song, ain’t it?”
The tension with the media reached a peak on Friday when the university announced that Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler was banned indefinitely from asking questions at football events.
The school explained that this decision was due to “a series of sustained, personal attacks on the football program and specifically Coach Prime, the CU Athletic Department in conjunction with the football program.”
One of Keeler’s recent headlines was “Deion Sanders is a false prophet. CU Buffs? College Football Playoffs? I’ll have what Coach Prime’s smoking.”
On August 9, Sanders had a heated exchange with Keeler, accusing him of consistently attacking his program. Keeler suggested they meet privately to discuss the issue, which Sanders agreed to, but he refused to let Keeler ask questions at the news conference.
The next day, Keeler’s column was titled: “Deion Sanders, 4-8 coach, gave a 3-9 news conference. Coach Prime showed CU Buffs fans a four-letter side they hadn’t seen before: Fear.”
