Deion Sanders is back in front of microphones and back to keeping receipts.
The Colorado head coach didn’t stir the pot with Paul Finebaum this time. Nor did he revive his ongoing cold war with The Denver Post. But at Big 12 Media Days, Sanders made it clear he hasn’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat for The Athletic, either.
Sanders has famously blocked out certain members of the media before. He iced out The Post’s Sean Keeler last season after Keeler referred to Sanders as a “false prophet,” “Deposition Deion,” “Planet Prime,” and the “Bruce Lee of B.S.” He also briefly refused to speak to CBS reporters before later clarifying the beef and making amends.
Now, The Athletic seems to be on his “bulljunk” list.
When senior writer David Ubben asked a fairly innocuous question about Sanders’ health and daily routine — a logical topic given Sanders’ recent absence — he got little more than deflection.
“Athletic, sometimes y’all be on that bulljunk,” Sanders said. “So, I’m really not going to tell you much. You know that. But I’m not here to talk to you about my health; I’m here to talk about my team.”
Ubben tried again, this time asking about life on Sanders’ ranch.
“Every day, I’m living good,” Sanders responded. “I’m living lovely. God has truly blessed me. Not a care in the world. Not a want or desire in the world.”
“Alright, appreciate it,” Ubben said, ending the exchange.
“Appreciate you,” Sanders replied.
It didn’t feel personal, at least not in the way things got with Keeler. But the interaction was tense enough to suggest Sanders’ issue was less with Ubben himself and more with the New York Times-owned outlet. And just like with CBS, the door probably remains open for reconciliation, depending on how The Athletic covers Colorado in the future.
As for his health, Sanders has spent the last few weeks at his estate in Texas dealing with an unspecified medical issue. He skipped Colorado’s summer football camps in Boulder — camps he previously attended in both 2023 and 2024 — as he continued to recover.
Sanders first opened up about his condition on a podcast with former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel back in May, revealing he’d lost 14 pounds. Beyond that, details have been scarce.
So naturally, when he reemerged this week at the Big 12 Media Days, questions about his health were going to come. Sanders just wasn’t interested in answering them, at least not from The Athletic.