Deion Sanders warns reporters against negative coverage after barring writer from asking questions

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Deion Sanders sent a message to reporters at a Colorado football news conference on Saturday, letting them know he tracks "where they stand" regarding the harshness of their coverage. 

Asked about the subject of negative coverage and negative questions during press conferences, Sanders said, "I’ve never read an article or a comment and said, `Oh, that’s gonna make me go harder.’ I’m gonna go hard regardless, but that comment just allowed me to know where you stand. 

"So, that’s the only differential of the thing. It doesn’t propel me. Where I came from propelled me. How I grew up propelled me. Like, you know, being an African American, one of few that’s a head coach in college football, that kind of stuff propels me. It’s not what you say. That lets me know where you stand."

Sanders' message came at the first press conference in which Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler was not permitted to ask questions of Sanders or his players. 

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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks during the Big 12 college football media days in Las Vegas July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)

Colorado's athletic department announced Friday that Keeler will not be permitted to ask questions for an unspecified amount of time due to "a series of sustained, personal attacks on the football program and specifically Coach Prime," according to ESPN.

Later during Saturday's news conference, Sanders was asked by a reporter if other reporters will be similarly silenced if they ask questions viewed as negative.

"That’s being negative right now," Sanders replied. "Like, you’re taking an approach that I’m going to be negative. I’m not negative to anybody in here. I would challenge you and ask you, 'Why or where is this coming from?’ I’m not built like that. I'm not built to hate. I’m not a hateful guy. I come with love. 

"I think if anybody in here has had encounters with me, I don’t come with the bull junk. I come with the peace and the joy. Now, when you show me where you stand, I might have to change that a little bit. So, I’m not going to match your ignorance."

Keeler was in attendance at the conference Saturday but, as the program promised, he did not ask a single question. Colorado officials have said Keeler's access to "football-related activities" remains intact, and his colleagues from the newspaper are free to ask questions. 

A Colorado athletic department spokesperson told the outlet some of Keeler's previous references to Sanders were an issue, including instances when the coach was referred to as "Deposition Deion," the "Bruce Lee of B.S." and a "false prophet." Certain phrases such as "Planet Prime," "the Deion Kool-Aid" and "circus" also created contention, the unnamed Colorado athletic department media relations staffer said, per The Denver Post.

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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders directs players during the first half of a spring college football game  April 27, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

During another press conference Aug. 9, Sanders called out the columnist directly for his past coverage. 

"You don’t like us, man. Why do you do this to yourself?" Sanders asked Keeler at one point during the press conference Aug. 9. "No, I’m serious. Why do you do this? Like, you know you don’t. Like, why do you do this?"

Keeler is not the first reporter Sanders has refused questions from. During the Aug. 9 press conference, Sanders also refused to take a question from CBS reporter Eric Christensen. 

"I’m not doing anything with CBS," Sanders said when Christensen introduced himself. "Next question. … It ain’t got nothing to do with you. It’s above that. It ain’t got nothing to do with you. I’ve got love for you. I appreciate and respect you. It ain’t got nothing to do with you. They know what they did."

Even before Sanders became the Colorado head coach at the start of last season, he had a history of denying reporters access to his teams. 

When Sanders was the head coach at Jackson State in 2021, a reporter for the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger was barred from covering the football program. The outlet published a story based on a court filing about a top recruit who faced charges for an alleged assault on a woman. The paper learned of the ban the day after the story was published.

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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders between plays during the home opener against the Nebraska Cornhuskers Sept. 9, 2023, at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo.  (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

However, Sanders still made an effort to connect with reporters on a personal level Saturday when he was asked if he has ever felt "persecuted" by negative media coverage. 

"I don’t know about persecuted," Sanders said. "This is a way of life for me. 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.

"This is not the first time for this, but as I mature, instead of shooting back or lashing or just dismissing you, I want to know why. Like, let’s help each other. Let’s figure out the why, because if you understand the why in people, that helps you tremendously."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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