Deion Sanders Allegedly Offered Critics $50,000 to Silence Coverage Amid Colorado’s Struggles
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders reportedly attempted to silence prominent critics by offering them financial compensation to stop discussing him. According to his videographer, Uncle Neely, speaking on BuffBoys Live, Sanders offered certain commentators $50,000 to refrain from mentioning his name for an entire year.
“For the most part, the people that attack him wouldn’t be making the money they were making if he wasn’t here to attack,” Neely said during the broadcast. He added that none of the targeted critics accepted the proposition, choosing instead to continue their coverage because the ongoing discourse surrounding Sanders remains highly lucrative for them.
The revelation emerges as Sanders and the Buffaloes navigate a difficult stretch on the field. The team currently sits at the bottom of the Big 12 conference, mired in an active five-game losing streak that has brought their overall record to 2-5 and conference play to 0-3. Over the past two seasons, the program has compiled a 1-11 record within the Big 12, marking a sharp decline from the intense media excitement and national attention that defined Sanders’ arrival in Boulder.
Following a recent loss to Oklahoma State, Sanders addressed the team’s ongoing on-field execution issues, pointing to a paradox between discipline off the gridiron and failures during games. He noted that players adhere strictly to protocols regarding academics, punctuality, proper uniforms, and general building manners, yet struggle with execution at critical moments on Saturdays.
“We’re so disciplined in this and that, and this and that, and every darn thing we do, but it seems like as soon as we go in the field, we’re not disciplined,” Sanders stated after the game. “I really don’t understand it, because we are disciplined in every area of this program… when it comes to just your manners in the building. Everything. But [when] we get on the field at the most critical moments, we blow it.”
Despite the mounting losses and a growing sense of frustration and apathy among the fan base, a coaching change remains financially prohibitive for the university. Sanders would be owed $25.5 million in buyout money if he were dismissed following the conclusion of the 2026 season. Consequently, the program remains tied to Sanders as it attempts to find a path out of the conference cellar, contrasting sharply with the peak media attention era when critics allegedly turned down five-figure deals to avoid mentioning his name.
