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As Denver’s first Black mayor, I did a dance with the local media, which during my 12 years included a newspaper war between the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post.
At one point, each newspaper had at least three reporters following my every move and reporting on such unimportant things as the color of my Lincoln Navigator, if I stopped to get a Cinnabon in the mall, and who my wife, Wilma, and I invited to dinner.
In other words, I lived under a microscope that often wasn’t a level playing field compared to my peers.
When I hired trusted, qualified people of color, some in the media labeled those people as my “cronies.” When my successor, a white male, did the same they labeled those hires as “longtime acquaintances.”
My point is that I see the same thing happening to Coach Prime. At Jackson State, Coach Prime had a winning record, yet one ESPN sports commentator recently called him a “Hollywood celebrity acting as coach.”
ESPN sure loved that Hollywood when CU Buff games boosted viewership, yet now they try and use it to degrade Coach Prime. This person also ignored the fact that Coach Prime has been working with young athletes for decades.
Other local media have labeled Coach Prime a “false prophet,” and his fans, the “Cult of Prime” or drinking the “Prime Kool-Aid.’’
Would the same members of the media ever dare to call Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton the same? Are Denver Nuggets fans part of the “Cult of Michael Malone’’? Absolutely not.
Other so-called journalists run with flat out lies about Coach Prime and his sons to boost clicks.
When I made mistakes as mayor, I knew I had to face the media and that was just part of the job as being the leader of the Mile High City. All that I expected was a level playing field, but unfortunately, some members of the media kept moving the goal posts. They are doing the same thing to Coach Prime.
So, I challenge the media to just cover Coach Prime like you would any other college or professional coach. Give him the same respect and level playing field, and when outlandish false statements arise, do your job and report on the facts.
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