Why Colorado Safety Ben Finneseth Apologized to Northwestern

Ben Finneseth owned his tunnel comments, but the timing made his public apology carry far more weight Tuesday.

Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado defensive back Ben Finneseth speaks with reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The first step to making amends after a mistake is usually to own up to it. Colorado defensive back Ben Finneseth did that before reporters started with their questions Tuesday. He walked to the podium beside Colorado coach Deion Sanders and addressed Northwestern, his own school, and anyone else who had heard what he said.

“I just want to apologize to you guys, to everyone that’s tied in with the university, to everyone at Northwestern,” Finneseth said during Colorado’s Tuesday press conference.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders stood beside Ben Finneseth as the veteran defensive back opened Tuesday’s press conference with an apology. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Finneseth was referring to the comments he made in the tunnel before Saturday’s game at Evanston. He did not use the podium to explain the moment away or blame the pregame emotions. Instead, he used the opportunity to describe his own words and said what needed to change.

Ben Finneseth called his own words childish

“It was childish. It was a stupid thing that I said. It won’t happen again,” Finneseth said. “It will be much more mature moving forward.”

The apology carried extra weight because Finneseth has become one of Colorado’s veteran voices in recent times. He joined the program as a walk-on in 2021, started six games in 2025, and finished last season with 27 tackles and a forced fumble recovery. Colorado tight ends coach Josh Niblett called Finneseth “the face of this program” during fall camp while praising the way teammates respond to him.

Sep 19, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Joseph Williams (8) celebrates his touchdown against the Northwestern Wildcats with wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (3) during the second half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sanders also chose Finneseth to represent Colorado at Big 12 Media Days back in July. The program has asked him to lead, even when his role on defense has changed. That is why a public apology from him carries more weight than it would from a reserve player.

Tuesday gave him a different kind of leadership moment. Sanders said during the same press conference that some players are no longer with the program because of conduct detrimental to the team. Finneseth remains on the roster, but he chose to open the session by addressing the elephant in the room before Sanders took questions.

His July promise now reads differently

The timing brought Finneseth’s words from July back into focus. When BuffZone’s Brian Howell asked him at Big 12 Media Days what he learned from Colorado’s 2025 season, his answer was pretty simple.

“Speak up,” Finneseth said. “Too many problems came up, and I don’t know if people didn’t have the confidence or didn’t feel like they had earned the right to speak up. But I wish I would have.”

“When there were things that needed to be said, I wish I had said them. I wish I had called people out on things that were happening and shouldn’t have been happening,” he said.

Deion Sanders leads the Colorado Buffaloes onto Folsom Field before their 2025 game against Georgia Tech. Sanders is adjusting Colorado’s practice and sleep schedule before this year’s night-game rematch in Atlanta. | Matthew Jonas/Daily Camera

Back then, Finneseth was talking about holding teammates accountable. On Tuesday, he applied the same standard to himself by taking accountability. The apology also came right after another disciplinary issue. Finneseth was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct against Weber State on Sept. 12, so his promise to be more mature going forward has a recent example sitting behind it.

Finneseth did not ask anyone to forget what happened. He fully took responsibility for being wrong, apologized to both schools, and promised to handle himself properly. For a player Colorado has trusted to help set the standard, the follow-through now has to match everything he said at the podium.

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