Over the course of the past two years, Paul Finebaum has been one of Deion Sanders’ most vocal critics.
But on Tuesday, it was the ESPN host — and not the Hall of Fame cornerback — who was left backpedaling.
Appearing on Tuesday’s episode of First Take, Finebaum joined Stephen A. Smith to discuss Colorado’s 48-21 victory over UCF, which advanced the Buffaloes’ record on the season to 4-1. In doing so, the “Mouth of the South” was quick to admit that he was wrong to criticize Coach Prime, the Buffaloes and even Smith.
“First of all, Stephen A., you’re close to being right,” Finebaum said regarding Smith’s stance that Sanders has put himself in a position to be considered the Coach of the Year. “This is where I say to you that I should have kept my mouth shut a couple weeks ago. But I came after you, I came after Prime and here I am, scraping the egg off of my face.
“And I’m glad to be doing it because this is a fascinating story. And what happened last week down in Florida was really the first time I think since Prime has been at Colorado that this looked like a legitimate football team. They didn’t beat a great team, but they beat a good team… if they can continue on this path — I’m not issuing qualifiers, I’m just saying if — then Stephen A., I think your story about Coach of the Year is dead on.”
Paul Finebaum addresses his previous criticism of Deion Sanders (and Stephen A. Smith): “I should have kept my mouth shut a couple weeks ago. But I came after you, I came after Prime and here I am, scraping the egg off of my face.” pic.twitter.com/WeuR2R2GU4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 1, 2024
While Smith clearly took joy in Finebaum admitting defeat, he was also quick to remind the SEC fixture that his previous criticism included telling the First Take star that he should return his journalism degree for defending Sanders. Finebaum had also criticized Sanders for his handling of the media in Boulder, calling the former two-sport star a “hypocrite” for banning Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler from asking questions at press conferences.
For what it’s worth, the bulk — albeit not all — of Finebaum’s criticism has had little to do with Colorado’s on-field product. But while those critiques may very well still be valid, winning has a funny way of curing all in sports.
[First Take]
