Colorado and Colorado State talked a lot of trash back and forth prior to their college football game in Fort Collins on Saturday. Unfortunately, it appears as though the Rams cannot handle the heat.
They blocked a Boulder-based reporter’s media credential after he called out the head coach’s wife.
Technically, that was not the reason provided for the denial. It should first be noted that Colorado State claimed its press box is at capacity and cannot accommodate any additional requests. We do not know when the reporter applied for his press pass. Maybe his application was not filled out properly.
HOWEVER, the (not-so) coincidental timing is thinly veiled.
Mat Smith is a radio host at Denver-based radio station 104.3 The Fan and has not missed a game during the Deion Sanders era. He will not be there this weekend.
Before we get into the minutiae of what happened or did not happen, lets provide some context. There is some major beef between the Buffaloes and the Rams.
Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell’s wife, Kim, infamously said that Deion Sanders’ son, Shedeur, “acted like a B” during last year’s rivalry bout. She has since deleted her post on X.
Jaden Norvell, their son, later referred to Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter as “soft.” His classless insult was in reference to a dirty hit by defensive back Henry Blackburn in 2023.
Here is where Smith comes into the equation.
He asked Deion Sanders about the Norvell family’s “derogatory” comments over the last 12 months. His question was completely fair and Coach Prime answered with class.
Smith’s line of questioning was not well-received by the Rams. They made it abundantly clear that they were furious with his question about Norvell’s family.
In doing so, Colorado State also denied Smith’s credential because the press box is full. It was not deenied because he asked Sanders about the unkind comments. There is no more room. *wink wink*
The two different messages were exactly that— different messages!
Smith’s credential was denied. Smith was also reprimanded for his question to Sanders.
With that being said, the messages were relayed from the athletic department to the reporter in the same email, so it begs the question: is the press box really at capacity? Is it really?