ESPN’s Paul Finebaum Rips Deion Sanders for Local Columnist Ban

A day after banning Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler from asking him questions due to “a series of sustained personal attacks,” Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders said he doesn’t “really care” about the backlash from his decision because it doesn’t “influence you.”

Talk will only get louder about Sanders’ policy to mute Keeler’s unbiased coverage of the Buffaloes. On Monday, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum did not hold back in his criticism, tearing into Coach Prime while appearing on “Get Up” with Mike Greenberg, Dan Orlovsky and Damien Woody.

“I find this whole thing to be disgraceful,” Finebaum said. “Deion may want to talk about love and joy —  and that seems to be the cornerstone of what he’s spewing out — but treating reporters like this seems like we’re in some autocratic country. This is not America. And the fact that it (the right to choose which reporters can ask questions) is in his contract is even more absurd.

“Don’t forget: He did this at Jackson State. This is a trait of Deion Sanders. He wants to have it his way, and I find him to be a bully and a hypocrite. And quite frankly, as someone who has been a fan of his throughout his entire career, even at Colorado, I am mortified by his actions.”

What is not debatable is the drastic difference in the mood and atmosphere around the Colorado program.

A year ago, Sanders arrived as something of a conquering hero in Boulder. His infectious personality and wide smile brought optimism to a program that had been relatively dormant since its glory days under Bill McCartney, who led the Buffs to the 1990 national championship.

Sanders and Colorado immediately became the darlings of college football after winning three straight games to begin the 2023 season, including a season-opening victory over TCU, the 2022 national championship game finalist that was ranked 17th. However, the Buffaloes came crashing down once Pac-12 play began. They lost eight of their nine conference games to finish in last place.

So, within that context, it’s understandable that questions had to be asked about what went wrong. Celebrated while his team was winning, Sanders was obligated to explain why Colorado’s season was falling apart, even if Keeler had called him a “false prophet.”

And if Sanders thinks that is going overboard, then he should stay away from the NFL, where no one is treated with kid gloves.

The “Get Up” conversation took another interesting turn when Orlovsky fired back at Finebaum, calling the “bully” and “hypocrite’ claims as “ridiculous” and “extreme.”