Desmond Howard defends Deion Sanders, cites need to protect mental health amid controversial reporter ban

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Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders had a tense exchange with a reporter during media day on Aug. 9. Sanders made it clear that he was not fond of some of Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler's coverage of him and the Buffaloes football program in the past.

"You don’t like us, man. Why do you do this to yourself?" Sanders asked Keeler at one point during the press conference. "No, I’m serious. Why do you do this? Like you know you don’t. Like, why do you do this?"

Two weeks after the back and forth, Colorado announced that Keeler would no longer be permitted to direct questions at Sanders or anyone else involved with the football program.

The decision sparked some backlash, but ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard came to Sanders' defense and argued the restrictions were placed on the columnist in an effort to protect the head football coach's and the player's mental health.

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ESPN College GameDay analyst and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard on set prior to a college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers on August 31, 2017 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN. (James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"When I first heard the story, the first thing that popped into my head was how we talk about protecting your mental health," Howard said on ESPN's "Get Up," via On3 Sports. "I don’t know if people realize that Deion Sanders is a human being who has spoken openly about trying to commit suicide before. 

"So, when you have a person who is an advocate for mental health, who not only wants to protect his mental health but the number