Coach Prime is right; the Post crossed a line with name calling

Let’s get a few things out of the way right from the outset. Just so everything is clear from the get-go.

Deion Sanders didn’t handle the situation with Sean Keeler well. At all.

The head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes turned a minor situation into a big one. He took something that no one would’ve talked about locally into a story that is garnering national attention.

And for the most part, Coach Prime isn’t getting treated well in the process. He’s getting universally ripped, by everyone from Stephen A. Smith to Paul Finebaum.

On Deion Sanders pic.twitter.com/D1P7D6rUFC

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 27, 2024

Paul Finebaum had a lot to say about Colorado HC Deion Sanders after the university banned Denver Post’s Sean Keeler from press conferences:

“Coach Prime is showing he is not ready for primetime…I find this whole thing disgraceful…I find him to be a bully and a hypocrite.”… pic.twitter.com/tRJwHAp9BR

— Blitz Alerts (@BlitzAlerts) August 26, 2024

As a fellow journalist, the knee-jerk reaction is to support Keeler in this battle. I don’t like censorship of any kind. I don’t like writers being told what to say or think. And I don’t like when programs or organizations use the access they provide to their teams as a weapon to control the narrative.

I haven’t liked it when it’s been done to me. So I don’t like it when it’s being done to one of my brethren in the profession.

But to act like it doesn’t happen all of the time is a little naive. Perhaps most team don’t come out and publicly admit that they’re doing it, but there’s zero doubt that individual reporters and/or the outlet they work for get blackballed all of the time. Every day.

So spare me the outrage. Everyone knows the game. And everyone plays it.

I also don’t like when coaches or athletes are thin-skinned. Taking criticism is part of their job. Answering questions, especially tough ones, is a role they accept when they sign a contract and start cashing paychecks.

Sanders should know that as well as anyone. He’s been in the limelight for 30 years, since his playing days at Florida State. He was also a lightning rod for controversy, or at least conversation, during his NFL and MLB careers.

Coach Prime loves the limelight. He’s brash and bold. He’s confident and outspoken. He knows as well as anyone that not everyone is going to like that approach.

As a result, they’re going to take shots. They’re going to root for him to fall. They’re going to pounce as soon as the bravado starts to look remotely out of place.

That’s why Sanders should’ve just ignored the comments of Keeler. He should’ve heeded the same advice I give my 12-year-old son when his older brothers are picking on him.

If he’d ignore them, the teasing would stop. Reacting simply causes them to do it more.

That’s what he should’ve done. And this all would’ve quietly gone away. But he didn’t. Instead, Coach Prime, and the CU athletic department, fought back.

Recently, the university announced that Keeler would not be allowed to ask questions during press conferences, due to repeated personal attacks against Sanders in his previous reporting. It was a controversial move, one that caused outrage in all corners.

But just as Keeler has the right to say and write whatever he wants, Sanders and the university also have the right to allow access to whomever they choose, while also denying it to whoever they want as well. Neither move is particularly smart, at least in terms of playing the long game, but no one’s going to jail over their actions.

That’s the beauty of free speech. People are protected from persecution for their words, but they aren’t immune to repercussions.

Keeler chose to make his points about Coach Prime through name calling. There’s no denying that fact. And while that tactic helped his writing be emphatic, powerful and biting, it also garnered the reaction from CU that it did.

Should it have? Well, that’s open for debate.

For the most part, the offending words were pretty innocuous. While perhaps sophomoric at times, most of Keeler’s comments didn’t cross the line.

When CU cited specific examples of what Keeler said and/or wrote that they deemed as personal attacks on Sanders, most of what they proved seemed pretty harmless. They didn’t appear to cross the line.

At times, the Buffs program has been a bit of a “circus” under Coach Prime. The unprecedented amount of player turnover they’ve had in less than two years is bound to lead to those kinds of moments.

That one is laughable. So too is “Planet Prime.” The world does tend to revolve around the head coach in Boulder since he arrived in December 2022, so that moniker makes some sense; it’s funny, harmless and paints a pretty good picture of the situation.

“Deposition Deion” is a little over the top, especially since it doesn’t have anything to do with his role with the Buffs. The off-the-field issues that Keeler is eluding to with Sanders date back years.

“The Bruce Lee of B.S.” is a bit of a head scratcher, and semi-dated, but it’s fine. Getting offended by the acronym for balderdash seems a little petty. Honestly, it’s such an obscure reference that most people don’t even get it, so they igore it.

“The Deion Kool-Aid” is a pretty standard way of referencing those who blindly follow a team, coach, leader, etc. Perhaps it’s insensitive to reference a mass suicide orchestrated by cult leader Jim Jones, but that happened in 1978; it certainly isn’t “too soon.” Keeler isn’t the first to make the “drink the Kool-Aid” reference.

That leaves one nickname that the Denver Post columnist has attached to Coach Prime to hash out. And it’s the one that gets sticky.

Sanders doesn’t like that Keeler calls him a “false prophet.” It’s understandable why.

For one thing, it’s insinuating that Coach Prime is less than truthful. He’s basically calling him a liar. Those are fighting words for a lot of people.

In addition, it’s saying that Sanders is a charlatan. Keeler is calling the coach a con man, a snake-oil salesman. Again, that’s pretty harsh, and likely to draw a reaction from most people.

But most problematic is the fact that the moniker is taking aim at Coach Prime’s faith. Sanders has been open about his beliefs since arriving in Boulder; he doesn’t hide from the fact that he’s a Christian, willingly talking about God in front of the media, crowds, etc.

That’s a bold move in today’s climate. Most people shy away from talking about religion and politics, wanting to avoid rocking the boat. Not Coach Prime.

Sanders takes his faith seriously. He’s adamant about spreading his message. He wants to share how much being a believer has positively impacted his life, hoping others will follow suit. He’s out to evangelize the gospel whenever he can.

Keeler mocks him for it. He calls the forthrightness of Coach Prime’s beliefs into question.

That’s not right. That’s crossing a line. That’s simply not cool.

I’m all for a funny nickname. Heck, I’ve been guilty of applying to sports figures over the years. But one that questions the sincerity of someone’s religious beliefs? That’s going too far.

If Sanders was anything other than a Christian, this wouldn’t be happening. If he was any other faith, a journalist wouldn’t dare call him a “false prophet.” Nor should they.

No matter what someone believes in terms of religious faith, it should be respected. To mock it publicly should be frowned upon.

The Denver Post should’ve never allowed that to appear on their pages. Those who are attacking Sanders should consider how they’d have reacted if the details of the situation were just slightly different.

Instead, the newspaper gave a columnist carte blanche to name call in any way he saw fit, avoiding any standards or decorum in the process. And the rest of the media simply reacted to the headline, instead of looking at what actually led to Keeler getting banned by the university.

They all carry some guilt in this situation. Keeler and his employer could’ve avoided it by avoiding the religious angle. The media could’ve prevented the wildfire by not fanning the flames with partially informed takes.

And Coach Prime could’ve avoided it. Perhaps it would’ve been wise to simply turn the other cheek. Maybe he should’ve heeded the advice in Matthew 5:39.

But it could just be that Deion Sanders is taking a stand. Maybe he’s tired of attacks on his faith.

Question his coaching methods. Debate his recruiting practices. Argue about whether or not he favors his son’s career over what’s best for the team. Those things are all fair game.

Questioning his Christian beliefs is crossing a line, however. And kudos to Coach Prime for having the courage to say so.

Sean Keeler and the Denver Post should apologize for using that moniker. Coach Prime and the Buffs should then welcome him back to Boulder.

Repentance and forgiveness. Those seem like pretty good ideas to me.

Follow @jamesmerilatt