Deion Sanders Rips ESPN's Paul Finebaum For Trying To 'Stay Relevant' With Criticisms About Him
Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders is on the offensive after causing a wave of controversy for refusing to answer particular members of the media. In recent days, Sanders and Colorado's athletic department revoked privileges for Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler, accusing the writer of taking personal jabs at Coach Prime.
ESPN's Paul Finebaum grilled Sanders for cherry-picking media members, which prompted an equally fiery response from Deion during an interview with Robert Griffin III.
Former NFL player and Colorado Buffalos head coach Deion Sanders. (Photo by Sam Hodde/UFL/Getty Images)
Deion chirped at Paul Finebaum with fighting words after the ESPN college football analyst chastised Prime, adding that Finebaum is trying to stay relevant by clinging onto drama surrounding himself and CU.
"How can we be irrelevant and you’re talking about me? Every time I turn around, somebody’s sending me a quote that you’re talking about me," Sanders told RGIII.
Prime reduced Finebaum's response to that of a fanatic.
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"The thing about a fan, you’ve got to understand. A fan only blows when you’re hot," Sanders added. "A fan only blows when we’re hot. So we must be hot."
Last year, Sanders and the Buffs caused a commotion in college football with their attention-grabbing 'swagger' on and off the field.
With more spotlight on the program, thanks to Deion and a few marketable players, the Buffaloes took off to start Prime's tenure as coach last year, opening 3-0.
More notoriety and expectations poured in.
Once the Buffaloes' shine turned to rust, Deion and company sat with few wins to show for their gaudy approach, finishing 4-8.
Whether Finebaum is right or wrong in his analysis, it's clear that Deion views the media differently than your typical college coach, setting up his own rules.
Finebaum had an issue with Deion and Colorado avoiding the criticism stemming from Primetime's larger-than-life persona. He called Deion a "bully" and a "hypocrite." Plenty of the blame belongs to Colorado for giving Prime this level of autonomy.
ESPN/SEC Network Analyst Paul Finebaum. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"Coach Prime is showing he is not ready for primetime," Finebaum said on "First Take" this week.
He continued, "I find this whole thing to be disgraceful. Deion may want to talk about love and joy and that’s the cornerstone of what he seems to be spewing out. But treating reporters like this seems like we’re in some autocratic country. This is not America. The fact that it’s in his contract is really even more absurd.
"But don’t forget – he did this at Jackson State. This is a trait of Deion Sanders. He wants to have it his way. 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."
(Who will come out on top in this bitter stand-off: Deion or Finebaum? Has Deion gone overboard? Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)
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