Deion Sanders Told ESPN That Banned Media Member Attacked Prime's "Faith"
Deion Sanders, the marketable Colorado Buffaloes football coach, went back to probing the situation involving the media member banned by the Colorado athletic department.
During ESPN's broadcast of Colorado's game against North Dakota State on Thursday evening, commentator Mark Jones gave more insight on the matter from Deion's perspective, sharing that Prime felt his "faith" was attacked before moving forward with the ban.
CU indefinitely prohibited Denver Post reporter Sean Keeler from asking questions when speaking about the program, citing "personal attacks" the columnist had previously made against Coach Prime.
READ: Deion Sanders Rips ESPN's Paul Finebaum For Trying To 'Stay Relevant' With Criticisms About Him
Mark Jones shared on the broadcast, "Coach Prime told us that he felt the reporter in question questioned and attacked his faith. And subsequently went over the line."
BOULDER, Colo. - Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes runs onto the field prior to the game against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field on August 29, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Sanders' tussling with the media sparked plenty of adverse reactions, including from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, questioning why Prime can't handle the heat if he's ready to throw fighting words.
The Buffaloes coach, who went 4-8 in his debut season with Colorado, unleashed on Paul Finebaum after the CFB commentator criticized Deion.
Deion called Finebaum a "dying breed" in sports media.
"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 said this week, speaking with RGIII.
Colorado's villain angle coming into its season debut against NDSU stirred plenty of support for the Bison.
The Buffaloes spoiled all hopes of an upset with a deciding second half against NDSU, winning 31-26, and it all came down to the final throw.
Colorado faced a 20-17 deficit heading into the halftime break. The Buffs' defense struggled to slow down Bison QB Cam Miller. Colorado held the NDSU offense scoreless in the second half until the final two minutes when Miller ran for a 20-yard score.
Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders put on a solid performance to start the year, tallying 445 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
Elite wideout Jimmy Horn, Jr. and dual-threat Travis Hunter combined for 330 receiving yards for Colorado's receiving group.
OutKick's Clay Travis reacted to CU's win, via X, "Not sure we learned much about Colorado tonight — Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are incredible talents, which we already knew, Hunter especially, but other than these two are Buffaloes much better this year than last? Still feels like a 5-7 or 6-6 team to me."
LAS VEGAS - Shedeur Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes attends the 2024 Big 12 Conference Football Media Day at Allegiant Stadium on July 10, 2024. (Photo by Louis Grasse/Getty Images)
BOULDER, Colo. - Travis Hunter of the Colorado Buffaloes runs with the ball for a touchdown during the first quarter against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field on August 29, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
With one possession left and facing a five-point deficit, Miller heaved the ball at full might and had the reception fall short by a considerable distance, sealing the win for Colorado. CU needs to improve its defense after giving up 309 total yards to Cam Miller.
It's not quite the TCU debut win from last year, but Colorado will magnify this Week 1 win to fuel its (far-fetched?) case for a postseason bid.
"It gave us a lot of hope … we got a good team, we've got a good plan," Travis Hunter said about the win.
The Buffaloes are gearing up for primetime next week in Lincoln as they prepare to take on Nebraska.
Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
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