Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders had a tense moment during a news conference Friday.
After a reporter identified himself and revealed his affiliation with CBS Sports, Sanders quickly shut him down before he could ask the coach a question. Sanders explained that his issue stemmed from something the media outlet was responsible for in the past, although he did not specify what CBS had done.
“CBS, I’m not doing nothing with CBS,” Sanders said. “Next question. Ain’t got nothing to do with you. It’s above that. Ain’t got nothing to do with you. I’ve got love for you. I appreciate and respect you. Ain’t got nothing to do with you. They know what they did.”
The reporter noted that he worked with the local affiliate in Denver and was not on any national assignment for the network. But the clarification did not seem to make Sanders more receptive.
“You are who you are. CBS is CBS,” Sanders said. “Ain’t got nothing to do with you. I respect you. That’s why I told you that. I’m looking you in the eye as a man. I respect you. I got love for you. But what they did was foul.”
While it remains unclear what Sanders was referencing during the exchange, CBS Sports recently slotted him in what could have been viewed as an unfavorable position in a publication that ranked coaches.
The Buffaloes coach was listed as the second-worst coach in the Big 12 Conference entering the 2024 season.
“Sanders’ first season as an FBS coach started with a bang but ended with six straight losses. He’s generated buzz and excitement by talking a big game and collecting strong transfer talent. But the foundation has cracks — see the offensive line for one example — as the Buffaloes transition to the Big 12 and face another tough schedule,” the story, published last month, noted.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham was listed in the final spot in the rankings.
It is also possible Sanders was referring to a meme that recently surfaced on social media that made light of a video the Colorado football program released. The original video showed Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders throwing a pass from one angle before the video changed to another angle of a player catching a pass for a touchdown.
The video drew more than 14 million views as of Friday. However, the manner in which the video was edited prompted some to question its authenticity. Several edited versions of the video began circulating on the internet, with some mocking the “Darts Only” caption.
CBS Sports eventually compiled a list of some of the posts that poked fun at Colorado’s initial video.
Sanders also took issue with The Denver Post during Friday’s press conference. One of the newspaper’s columnists informed Sanders he was interested in asking him a football-related question, but Coach Prime made it clear he was not fond of something that was previously written.
“You don’t like us, man. Why do you do this to yourself?” Sanders asked. “No, I’m serious. Why do you do this? Like you know you don’t. Like, why do you do this?”
The Pro Football Hall of Famer continued, pushing for an explanation about apparent wrongdoings.
“It would be hard for me to really engage in someone I don’t like or someone I don’t like. I’m just asking why? Like why? What did I do?” Sanders repeated.
The columnist responded by telling the coach that he “didn’t do anything.”
“You’ve gotta pay bills, man. You didn’t do anything. It’s not about that. This is a football question,” he said.
The columnist then again tried to ask a question, but Sanders continued his line of questioning.
“But why? I’m asking you why? … You want me to answer you, so why? … You’re always under attack. Like what did we do to you?” Sanders said.
Sanders eventually agreed to discuss the matter with the columnist in a private setting at a later date.
“No, we’ll talk about that when we talk about that. I’ll talk about that with you,” Sanders said.
Colorado makes its debut as a member of the Big 12 Conference Aug. 29 when it takes on North Dakota State.
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