Late Colorado Reporter’s Wife Sends Clear Message as Deion Sanders Faces Criticism Over Media Access

Deion Sanders has never done things the conventional way, and his latest rules for fall training camp put him right back in the national crosshairs. When Coach Prime restricted standard media access, national sports commentators quickly jumped on the story, accusing him of trying to control the press and shield his team from tough questions.

While national pundits tore into the decision, a voice deep within the Colorado football family offered a very different perspective. Liz Munsterteiger, whose late husband, Adam, spent over two decades covering the Buffaloes before his passing in May 2026, shared a clear, thoughtful reflection on social media that cut through the noise.

Writing to the fanbase and media community, Liz admitted she was never the one drawing up X’s and O’s, but she knew the beat inside and out: “When I started this BuffStampede journey, I made it clear l’d never have the football knowledge to be one of the beat writers. That hasn’t changed. But I do know what I witnessed over nine years of watching @adamcm777 lose access to this team, bit by bit. I’ve been thinking about him a lot watching this whole “fight” over @DeionSanders and @CUBuffsFootball opening practice to media with restrictions,” she tweeted.

“Adam covered this program for more than 20 years, through a lot of coaches and a lot of different eras of access. He’d find it insane that opening the gates more somehow became a story about shutting media out.”

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Her point was simple yet striking. National outlets were painting Sanders’ move as a media shutdown, but anyone who actually lived through years of shrinking access in Boulder knew the reality. To Liz, giving local writers a chance to watch full practices, even with conditions, was a win, not a lockout.

That background matters because Adam wasn’t just another writer with a press credential. He launched BuffStampede back in 2003 and earned a reputation as the steady voice of Colorado football, enduring losing seasons, coaching carousels, and steadily tightening access rules under previous regimes.

When national stories sensationalized the program, Adam regularly called for perspective. Liz wasn’t just defending a football coach; she was speaking from decades of shared experience at the dinner table.

The entire debate kicked off when Sanders opened the doors for reporters to watch two full fall practice sessions. Under Coach Prime, beat writers rarely got to see non-spring practices, making the invite a rare peek behind the curtain. But it came with clear ground rules: a complete blackout policy prohibiting live tweeting, filming, or notebook recording while practice was active.

Outside Boulder, critics called the rule restrictive. But on the ground, local beat writers like Leo Rivera and Brian Howell took a more practical view. Being on the sidelines allows reporters to observe team chemistry, position battles, and player development firsthand. These are insights that a canned post-practice press conference can never provide.

Program heads always balance transparency with protecting team strategy before season openers so opponents do not get a free look at the playbook. Restricting live reporting while opening practice gates gives coaches protection while giving local writers their eyes back on the field. As Liz Munsterteiger pointed out, when you look at where access stood just a few years ago, Coach Prime’s middle ground looks less like a media ban and more like a long-overdue step forward.

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