Paul Finebaum has made Deion Sanders one of his frequent targets for criticism over the last few months.
On Monday, Finebaum came at Sanders during an appearance on Get Up, admonishing Sanders for banning Sean Keeler of the Denver Post from asking questions during press conferences.
“I find this whole thing to be disgraceful,” Finebaum said to host Mike Greenberg. “Deion may wanna talk about love and joy — and that’s been 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, and the fact that it’s in his contract is really even more absurd.
“Don’t forget, he did this at Jackson State. This is a trait of Deion Sanders. He wants to have it his way, and 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.”
Paul Finebaum on Colorado banning The Denver Post’s Sean Keeler from press conferences: “Coach Prime is showing he is not ready for primetime, Greeny. I find this whole thing disgraceful… treating reporters like this seems like we’re in some autocratic country. This is not… pic.twitter.com/NMIdmxzUgY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 26, 2024
Finebaum himself is a polarizing figure, but this morning’s take earned him praise from some corners of the internet.
“Paul Finebuam is spot-on here. The other panelists were asking whey would Coach Prime do this? As Finebaum said, I think the purpose is to intimidate the rest of the press pack covering Colorado. They’re a public university. Cut this crap out Coach.,” said Front Office Sports’ Mike McCarthy.
“Finebaum being over-dramatic as usual but it’s true that no one creates more distractions for their own team than Deion. It’s ALWAYS about something else going on besides football,” a second person said.
“When Finebaum is the voice of reason…” a third person added.
“Deion will be irrelevant after this season,” chimed in a fourth commenter.
To be fair, there were some who backed Deion and chided Finebaum for his remarks.
“The day Colorado fans care about @paulfinebumshow is the day that Boulder gets a stage coach stop,” said one person.
“Paul Finebaum talking about someone else being a bully is hilarious,” added another.
“Missing so much context as to why the man was banned. Finebaum has a vendetta going. His takes gets weirder and weirder. Stick to the SEC,” offered up a third.
Sanders’ feud with Keeler has been brewing for some time, as the longtime columnist has at times referred to the Colorado head coach as “Bruce Lee of B.S.” and a “false prophet,” among other less than flattering nicknames.
One thing is for certain: this 2024 Colorado football season is going to be interesting.
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