Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is facing criticism after his response to reports that the Buffaloes’ offensive play script was left behind at a hotel bar before their matchup against Texas Tech.
The incident took place on Friday night, when Texas Tech fans staying at the same hotel came across the Buffaloes’ offensive plays. The information later spread across message boards and social media, raising questions about how the team’s game plan was handled.
Sanders’ response has only added to the backlash, with fans questioning his reaction to the situation.
CFB Fans Criticize Deion Sanders’ Response
When asked about the situation, Sanders appeared to downplay the incident. “It happens sometimes. That happens sometimes. I’ve seen and heard that on the pro level, as well as the collegiate level. But, I think we scored on the first drive, so I guess it didn’t work,” Sanders said.
Sanders’ response failed to convince several fans, who questioned his lack of accountability.
One fan simply called it a “Terrible answer.”
Denver Post columnist Troy Renck argued that the play script should never have been left behind in the first place. “The point is that it should never happen. It’s embarrassing. Shows lack of attention to detail in a program that too often looks disorganized on game day,” Renck wrote.
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Former NFL player Brandon Stokley also took a shot at Colorado’s handling of the situation, suggesting the program needed to get its basic details right. “Glad they got these issues solved 6 games in. Hopefully they don’t have 7 guys on the field this week,” Stokley wrote.
Other fans were even more direct in their criticism. “No, Deion. That shouldn’t happen at all. Ever. Go ahead and resign. It’ll save you and the university face,” one wrote.
Another questioned the lack of accountability, saying, “Zero accountability. ZERO. My alma mater is a sideshow joke.”
One user also expressed disappointment with how Colorado has been perceived, writing, “He’s turned that team into a laughing stock. Sad to see.”
Deion Sanders Questions Whether Texas Tech Could Trust the Script
Coach Prime also suggested that the opposing team might not have known whether the plays in the script were genuine.
“When you get something like that, do you really trust it as a coach? So was that a dummy script or was that real? Like, that’s what you’re thinking as a coach. If somebody called us and said Utah left the first twenty plays of their script, I wouldn’t believe that,” Sanders explained.
He also argued that knowing Colorado’s first 10 or 15 plays would not automatically give an opponent an advantage, since the opposing defense would still need to stop those plays on the field.
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He appeared keen to move on from the incident rather than dwell on the reported mistake.
The playbook controversy has added to the pressure on Colorado after its disappointing 29-7 loss to Texas Tech, which dropped the Buffaloes to 2-3 on the season.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.