Former NFL MVP rebuts ESPN host: "Colorado ain't a big deal? That's a MF'ing lie"

Cam Newton wasn't going to let Paul Finebaum slide on his comments about Coach Prime

Cam Newton calls out ESPN's Paul Finebaum over Deion Sanders take /

Deion Sanders has recently been the topic of conversation with ESPN hosts who've speculated his about his future. While he's no stranger to taking heat, the Colorado Buffaloes coach is hearing both sides of an argument from the same person as he prepares for the 2024 football season.

During a live hit from SEC Media Days, Paul Finebaum confidently asserted that the Buffaloes will never compete for the College Football Playoff and claimed that Sanders lacks the patience to develop them into contenders. He labeled the team as “irrelevant in the big picture” of major college football and accused them of having a “ridiculously inflated view of themselves.” Finebaum didn't hold back, even mocking Shedeur Sanders' claim that the team is seen as everyone's "Super Bowl," dismissing Shedeur's accomplishments as negligible.

Cam Newton added his thoughts to the conversation, defending Coach Prime and the Buffs with a clear observation of Finebaum's comments. The former NFL MVP questioned the credibility of the longtime host on his 4th & 1 Podcast and wonders what will happen when he's proven wrong?

"You can't detach the two. (Sanders) is connected to Colorado as long as he's at Colorado," Newton said. "To say that Colorado ain't a big deal, that's a MF'ing lie. You can't name me another more relevant program than Colorado right now."

Finebaum seemed to back away from his original comments, and four days later claimed Sanders would be a perfect fit at USC. While Lincoln Riley isn't on the hot seat, the idea of Coach Prime going to Hollywood is a marketing dream for some.

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"He's going to be tired of Colorado, because quite frankly, it's not 'Prime Time'," Finebaum noted. "He's done well... As well as he can with his son, Travis Hunter, and all the Stephen A and Shannon Sharpe appearances. But that's going to dry up this year because they're not going to be that great. But you put Prime in Tinseltown and I think you have one of the great combinations in history."

The two-way commentary was joined by Stephen A. Smith's take about Prime in Boulder. "(Sanders) in Tinseltown, yes, that works," Smith said on First Take. "I don't like him in Boulder. I've told him that."

As the Buffaloes prepare for their second season under Sanders, starting August 29 against FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, they hope to continue benefiting from the attention and growth sparked by the movement at Colorado. One thing is clear, the national analysts are starting to place Sanders outside of Boulder in 2025.