Nebraska football's season is just eight days away. That means their game against the Colorado Buffaloes is in just two weeks. Is it possible that Deion Sanders and his program will have completely imploded by the time the Huskers and Buffs square off?
Well, probably not completely imploded but it sure seems like Coach Prime and his group are headed that way. In the wake of Sanders' acting like a petulant child during a press conference just a few weeks ago, he's doubling down.
This week, Nebraska football's Week 2 opponent sent a letter to the Denver Post saying that neither Sanders nor anyone from his program would answer question from Sean Keeler, a writer for the publication. According to CU, the reason they are going to give Keeler the silent treatment is because Keeler has engaged in "sustained, personal attacks"
Nebraska football rival coach keeps showing he's not cut out for the big leagues
If that didn't already make Deion look Charmin soft, then their explanation for the boycot of Keeler certainly did.
"When asked for specific examples of how Keeler personally attacked Sanders and the program, a sports information staffer cited his use of phrases such as 'false prophet,' 'Deposition Deion,' 'Planet Prime,' 'Bruce Lee of B.S.,' 'the Deion Kool-Aid' and 'circus,”' according to the Denver Post.
The statement did not specify how long Keeler would be unable to ask questions, but a spokesman later clarified that the action was indefinite.
There's a reason this is news. And not just because I'm mad I didn't think of a nickname like the Bruce Lee of B.S.. Big time football coaches don't act like this.
They don't allow someone's criticism to affect them this deeply. What's more, most coaches are famous for telling their players to "ignore the noise" from outside sources. The Buffs head coach is so incapable of doing that, he's issuing a memorandum crying about how mean someone is being to him.
Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini famously had a terrible relationship with the press. He was often angry and petulant and downright mean when the press went after him for his very obvious flaws. And I'm confident he never would have thought of making a move like this.
I've said before that this offseason has been one sign after another that Deion simply isn't handling the pressure of being a Power Conference head coach. But not even I thought he'd ever be this sad and pathetic.
There was also this line: "Asked if Sanders requested Keeler be barred from asking questions, the staffers declined to answer."
The man is so soft, he can't even own up to being the one behind it. He has to hide behind the athletic program's wall of silence. As if it's not incredibly clear he's the one who requested the football program's boycott.
Finally, there's this: "Sanders has specific language in his contract that requires him to speak only with 'mutually agreed upon media' as part of his employment with CU. The 'mutually agreed upon' clause does not appear in the contracts of either Buffs men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle or women’s basketball coach JR Payne — nor was it in the contract of Sanders’ predecessor, Karl Dorrell."
He knew before he even took the job that he couldn't handle criticism while putting on a show of being tough.
I keep thinking about the not insignifcant number of Nebraska football fans who were hoping the Huskers would hire him after firing Scott Frost. And continue to realize how much of a bullet the program dodged. Now they just need to beat his program on September 7 and then never have to deal with him again.