Steve Corder of Athlon Sports made waves in the college football world this week with a sensational report on the Colorado Buffaloes football program under Deion Sanders, alleging a culture of hazing and violence.
Some questioned the validity of reporting by an outlet like Athlon, while Sanders discredited the report and threatened “consequences.”
Corder has joined The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Wednesday to defend his reporting and respond to the public backlash. He said that while he understood those who doubted his story, he reported it in the public interest.
“All I know is that I’ve talked to these kids, these young men. They’re scared, they’re worried about the consequences,” Corder said. “I’m just doing what I think is right, what needs to be done. If something like this happens anywhere, I would think everyone would want to know about it. Whether it’s the university, the state, the players, the families, whoever.”
Corder responded specifically to Sanders’ comments on the story, noting that Sanders did not dispute the details. Corder also noted that Colorado staged a recorded conversation to respond to his article at Athlon, suggesting that they are taking it seriously even if Sanders’ comments were dismissive.
“They created specific content to talk about the story. If it’s not true, just say it’s not true,” Corder said. “But nobody did. CU made no comment, the players weren’t specifically asked about it, but nobody came forward and said, ‘No, none of that ever happened.’ Like I said, I trust my reporting.”
Le Batard, who said later in the broadcast that he believed Corder’s reporting, asked why other Colorado reporters did not report the same details about the show’s culture.
“I would think that the local reporters are happy because they have access, or the access that Deion gives them, and that’s enough for them,” Corder said. “Maybe they don’t believe what they see or what they’re told.”
When asked if he or Athlon were afraid of legal action, Corder said no.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve checked my sources. I’ve checked them, I’ve double checked them. I have several people I trust,” Corder said. “If I’m talking to more than two, three, four people, I have to go with my gut and believe those people.”
Perhaps it is to Colorado’s advantage in many ways that Athlon is a smaller provider. While they are threatening legal action and potentially scaring the company, the school also probably benefits from the less attention it gets compared to a story like this in Colorado. The athlete or the local newspaper.
Arena Group-owned Athlon took over publication of the Sports Illustrated Fan Nation websites earlier this year. According to his bio on the websites and his social media presence, Corder runs the Colorado Buffaloes and Carolina Panthers websites.
(The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz)
