Colorado Official Statement Adds New Wrinkle to Deion Sanders' Player Dismissal

Deion Sanders’ recent Colorado Buffaloes roster moves features a new twist.

Sep 19, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders takes the field with his team for warmups before the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Colorado Buffaloes fans were buzzing after coach Deion Sanders’ Tuesday announcement that he had dismissed multiple players from the team. While he didn’t specify which players are no longer with the team, he cited off-the-field conduct as his reason.

Later on Tuesday evening, Pete Nakos of On3 added an update to the development. An official statement from the university clarified for fans when they can expect to see the roster changes made and what their current status is.

The Colorado Buffaloes’ Official Statement

Sept. 12, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA: Colorado Buffaloes athletic director Fernando Lovo during the first quarter against the Weber State Wildcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On X, Nakos revealed the official statement he received from the university roughly four hours after Sanders’ initial announcement.

“Any potential roster changes have not been finalized. An updated roster will be released later in the week,” the statement read.

Statement from Colorado: "Any potential roster changes have not been finalized. An updated roster will be released later in the week."https://t.co/cVQ4sFjOlU https://t.co/htxL7PT9P0

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) September 22, 2026

This is an interesting wrinkle, as it likely means that Colorado will roll into its Week 4 matchup against the Baylor Bears before announcing the departures. The reason this is the most likely outcome is that if Sanders wanted to reveal the players, it would’ve been easiest for him or one of the other players who spoke at the recent press conference to do so. 

The fact that they avoided dropping any names likely means they want the Bears to game plan for players who will be absent, utilizing the advantage of their names on the roster for as long as possible.

Deion Sanders’ Initial Statement

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sanders was rather blunt when announcing the drastic change in his Tuesday press conference.

“A few guys are not on the team anymore,” said Sanders as he interjected midway through Denver Gazette reporter Mark Kiszla’s question.

While Sanders wasn’t asked many follow-up questions about the sudden change, he clarified the reasoning behind the dismissals.

“No, it's never one [incident],” Sanders said. “Those guys could tell you I'm the most loving and giving and forgiving man you could ever meet. But when you start having conduct detrimental to the team, that will set us back in things that you're doing; you don't care about the team. You care about you. I have a problem with that. And a year ago, I didn't put my foot down in it enough. You know, it lingered a little bit. Then it imploded. I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that anymore.”

The Colorado Buffaloes’ Character Concerns

Colorado linebacker Tyler Martinez called for the Buffaloes to come together as the program dealt with roster changes Tuesday. | University of Colorado Athletics

Colorado’s trip to Chicago, Illinois, to face the Northwestern Wildcats saw what was considered some of the negative sides of the Buffs’ character show through. The Buffaloes were dominated 41-7 by the Wildcats, with frustration mounting in the form of penalties during the game.

Perhaps more notably, before the game, a video went viral of Colorado linebacker Tyler Martinez and safety Ben Finneseth bashing the Wildcats’ stand-in stadium prior to running onto the field. While Finneseth apologized for his comments at Tuesday's presser, Martinez didn't mention it.

Colorado players talking trash about Northwestern’s temporary stadium ahead of this evening’s game:

“This place f*cking sucks”

“Sh*t sounds like a f*cking library.” pic.twitter.com/dU07Kr4YaR

— Kamran Nia (@kamran_nia) September 19, 2026

Then, after the shellacking had concluded, Sanders saw a couple of his players laughing as they were leaving the field. He intervened quickly, making sure his players understood the magnitude of the loss.

“You did see a couple of guys that I just got on because I don’t understand how you can have joy in a loss, especially when I’m upset, and I’m walking right behind you,” Sanders said postgame. “I don’t understand that … I can’t understand how in the world you find joy or a laughing matter when I’m right behind you walking in … I addressed it, and I’m going to put my foot in it, not on it.”

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