Shoulder to Shoulder. Blinder to Blinder.
So much for a fresh start for CU coach Deion Sanders in his pivotal fourth year.
In a remarkable show of hubris for a team coming off a 3-9 record, Sanders invited reporters to an open practice Tuesday that was closed to reporting.
You read that right. So strict were the rules, reporters had to turn in their “cell phones, tablets, cameras, video equipment, audio recorders and meta/smart glasses” before entering.
Apparently Sanders believes the Buffs rank in importance with the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift nuptials.
When CU’s sports information department sent out the email with the rules, it was an easy decision not to go. This graph sealed it.
“Nothing observed at practice may be reported, published, posted, broadcast or otherwise shared in any form, on any platform, at any time. If you are uncertain whether something is reportable, the answer is that it is not.”
So, this was a ghost practice? Why not just have reporters sign non-disclosure agreements and be accompanied by legal counsel?
Hyperbole? Maybe.
I chose not to attend for two reasons. First, if I posted something I learned from a source that CU believed was gleaned from an observation during Tuesday’s workout, then what? Is it my word against theirs? Would they ask who I obtained the information from, a detail no upstanding reporter would ever reveal?
Secondly, Sanders stopped taking questions from colleague Sean Keeler two years ago for what CU deemed “a series of sustained, personal attacks.” The ban has not been lifted.
Sanders’s contract contains specific language requiring him to speak only with “mutually agreed upon media” as part of his employment with CU. It is unclear how many coaches around the country enjoy this in-writing power, but as of 2024, no other CU coach did.
When Sean Payton took over the Broncos, he implemented new media policies, the most jarring that nothing could be reported at practice in real time. He also instituted more strict injury rules, among them that it can be reported when a player leaves practice, but speculation as to why is not permitted until Payton addresses it after the workout.
The bulk of the media policies are similar to those across the NFL — you can’t reveal formations, gimmick plays, which players are practicing with the first or second team, etc.
However, when Broncos’ practices are open to fans during training camp, 14 in all, reporters can post live. This is logical.
What Sanders did came across as an unnecessary flex on the press. It feels so heavy-handed, especially for a school that should embrace coverage after losing 11 of its last 14 games.
As it stands, the Buffs are predicted to finish 15th out of 16 teams in the Big 12 Conference.
What’s next? Asking the press only to report after wins?
Take the Fifth: Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has lost the plot. Having a lawyer send a cease and desist to LSU that it can no longer use his name, image and likeness because the school issued his No. 5 to cornerback DJ Pickett is foolish at best and childish at worst. Daniels is in the middle of the most important training camp of his career, and he is picking a fight with his former college? What’s next, banning Tigers players from giving high-fives and preventing anyone on trial in Washington, D.C., from taking the Fifth? The only number that should be on Daniels’ mind is the victories needed to get the Commanders back to the playoffs.
By the Numbers: No professional sport humbles players like baseball. Consider these numbers. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who led the Blue Jays to the World Series last year, has zero home runs at home in 248 plate appearances this season. Worse, Cal Raleigh has 51 hits after hitting 60 homers in 2025.
