CU announces reporter who asked Deion Sanders critical questions won’t be allowed to ask any more
The decision comes two weeks after a news conference in which Sanders accused Keeler of “always being on the attack” and asked, “What happened to get you like this?”
Added Sanders: “No, I’m serious. I want to help because it’s not normal.”
During the exchange, Keeler asked multiple times if he could ask a football question and Sanders declined before moving on to a reporter who asked about his birthday plans. The reporter before Keeler at the news conference asked Sanders, “How important is it for everyone to have Aflac as part of their life?” (Sanders is a paid spokesperson for the insurance company.)
According to the Post, Sanders has unique language in his contract that says he is required to speak only with “mutually agreed upon media.”
In a social media post, Denver Post sports editor Matt Schubert said, “It’s well within anyone’s right to not take questions from [Denver Post sports reporters and columnists]. The reasons listed here by CU, however, are entirely subjective. It would be more accurate to say, ‘We don’t like Sean Keeler’s critiques of our program.'”
When asked for clarification by the Post, a Colorado sports information staffer told the newspaper “Keeler had not violated any specific media policies.”
Sanders was a great football player, and he’s certainly a first ballot Hall of Famer when it comes to the art of self-promotion. As to whether he can coach major college football successfully there’s no real evidence to this point that he can(he’s entering the second year of a five-year $30 million contract, which CU’s athletic director admitted the AD didn’t have the money to pay when they signed him), but hey the Music Man didn’t sell that monorail to Springfield by giving lectures on the engineering specs.