Coach Prime compared to Colorado football coach who never had winning record
Coach Prime was compared by Mile High Sports' Mark Knudson to former Colorado football head coach Dan Hawkins -- who never had a winning record in Boulder and unsuccessfully deployed his own son, Cody, at quarterback -- for taking part in "Daddy Ball 2.0" and having double standards.
"Fact of the matter is, there’s a not-so-good element of 'Daddy Ball 2.0' going on in Boulder, as displayed most recently by the Louis Vuitton Paris modeling episode," Knudson prefaced before saying, "Last week, Shedeur and his brother Shilo skipped the Buffs first team meeting of the year – with Deion’s blessing – to travel to Paris to do some runway modeling (presumably as part of their lucrative NIL deals.) The move has been criticized by friends and foes alike as sending the wrong message.
"Those criticisms mean nothing to Deion. He’s far more worried about what other coaches are saying about him. Still, it’s more than fair to ask if the same 'blessing' would have been given to any of the CU players who were not related to the head coach?"
Colorado football predicted to have 'me first' mentality in locker room next season
The Hawkins criticism is not precise, but there are elements of it that are uncomfortably accurate. Shedeur and Shilo skipping a team meeting, whether it was excused or not, doesn't come off as a great culture-builder.
Mike Farrell Sports' Scott Salomon believes stunts of this nature will contribute to a "me first" mentality in Boulder during the 2024 season.
"What's next? Shedeur misses practice or a game for a GQ modeling gig? Where do you draw the line? This is an instance where NIL has gone too far," Salomon prefaced before saying, "When NIL shticks interfere with team meetings or other team-related activities, a line must be drawn in the sand.
"And you wonder why the Buffs played so poorly on the field last season. It looks like the same 'Me First' mentality will riddle the locker room as it did last season. Deion Sanders would sanction any other player for missing a team meeting, especially the first one, but his boys had a valid, selfish reason not to be there."
If there is going to be a "me first" mentality, there will likely continue to be Hawkins-esque results for CU.