Some media deemed social justice warriors for not criticizing Deion's Colorado football program
Mike Farrell Sports' Rock Westfall accused those in media who refuse to criticize Deion Sanders' Colorado football program of being social justice warriors who are doing so because they are afraid of being labeled as racists.
"The sports media, already imbalanced towards being what they mistakenly believe to be social justice warriors, saw Sanders as a transformational cultural icon who was not to be questioned but always exalted," Westfall prefaced before saying, "As a result, the media was also terrified of being labeled as racists if they did not click its collective heels and hail hosannas to whatever the Great God Deion pontificated."
Those are wildly strong labels. If anything, some in the media are playing the game and getting access to the program by providing positive press.
Race likely doesn't play a role in any media member's decision-making as much as being sensitive to Coach Prime's mental health, though.
Deion Sanders suffering from mental health issues as Colorado football head coach
Even before Sanders dealt with blood clots that led to the amputation of several toes, he had problems with depression. Sanders has admitted to nearly taking his own life in the past. Many media members know this and are operating with caution.
ESPN's Desmond Howard weighed in with a supporting tone toward Sanders' ban on negative reporter Sean Keeler (of The Denver Post).
“When I first heard the story, the first thing that popped into my head was how we talk about protecting your mental health,” Howard said (h/t On3). “I don’t know if people realize that Deion Sanders is a human being who has spoken openly about trying to commit suicide before. So, when you have a person who is an advocate for mental health, who not only wants to protect his mental health, but the number one job of a coach is to protect the mental health of his players too because you always want to treat all of your players like they’re your sons."
Not everyone has sensitivities to these types of struggles. The First Amendment allows anyone to share any praise, criticism, or other opinion. But some don't care about the social justice warrior label if it means not pushing Coach Prime back to that dark place.
When it comes to Sanders, it's fair game to criticize football decisions. Especially ones that could hurt student-athletes. Making it about his character is below-the-belt stuff, though; particularly if that's all a given outlet publishes.
Given no media member has ever been done wrong on a personal level by Coach Prime -- he's not a politician after all -- going below the belt feels misguided at best.