Deion Sanders' son Bucky calls out Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum over opinion on feud with Denver Post

The 2024 season has barely kicked off yet, and Colorado coach Deion Sanders is already dominating the headlines. The Buffaloes coach has been in the news for refusing to take certain reporters' questions due to their criticism of him and his team.

Recently, the Colorado athletic department banned Denver Post reporter Sean Keeler from asking anyone associated with the program any questions during news conferences.

During Monday's episode of ESPN's "First Take," outspoken analysts Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum disagreed with how the matter had been handled by the charismatic "Coach Prime."

“I do not agree with how he’s handling this situation,” Smith said. “I do not agree with how the Colorado program has handled this situation. And quite frankly, I’m a bit disappointed because you have to have thicker skin than that.

“If you don’t want to talk to the reporter, Shannon, don’t talk to the reporter. But, to have the program putting out a release announcing that, ‘We’re not gonna take questions as a program from this guy,’ is utterly ridiculous."

Veteran analyst Paul Finebaum hasn't been shy of criticizing the Pro Football Hall of Famer either. Earlier on Monday, he had called Sanders a "bully" and a "hypocrite" on ESPN's "Get Up."

Coach Prime's eldest son, Deion Sanders Jr., aka "Bucky," called out the two analysts on X, quote-tweeting the clip of them discussing the issue about his father's reaction to the reporter.

"There couldn’t have been any research done before this segment," Bucky wrote.

The Deion Sanders directive banning journalist

The beef between Deion Sanders and the Denver Post began a few weeks ago when he refused to take questions from two reporters, CBS's Eric Christensen and the Denver Post's Sean Keeler.

"What happened to get you like this? No, I'm serious. I want to help because it's not normal," Deion Sanders asked Sean Keeler.

Although he reconciled with Christensen last week, the matter with Keeler and the Post seems to have escalated, with Colorado insiders claiming that it is due to the reporter referring to him as "Deposition Deion," the "Bruce Lee of B.S.," "false prophet," "Planet Prime" and "the Deion Kool-Aid."

The Buffaloes athletic department released a statement detailing why Keeler was banned from asking Deion Sanders and Colorado staff members questions during news conferences.

"After a series of sustained, personal attacks on the football program and specifically Coach Prime, the CU Athletic Department in conjunction with the football program, have decided not to take questions from Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler at football-related events," the athletic department said in a statement.

"Keeler is still permitted to attend football-related activities as a credentialed member of the media and other reporters from the Denver Post are welcome to ask questions of football program personnel made available to the media, including coaches, players and staff."

It is not the first instance in his coaching career that Deion Sanders has banned reporters from asking questions during his news conferences.

While he was still the Jackson State coach in 2021, a reporter from the Mississippi Clarion Ledger was banned from covering the team at the Southwestern Athletic Conference media day because of an article written by his publication that exposed a recruit of the team for a domestic assault case still in court.