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Colorado finalizes new deal with Deion Sanders’ manager for filming on campus

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Colorado finalizes new deal with Deion Sanders’ manager for filming on campus



It’s an unusual deal in the sense that few college coaches besides Deion Sanders could procure this kind of arrangement.

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The University of Colorado has finalized an agreement with Deion Sanders’ business manager that spells out the terms for filming another season of the “Coach Prime” documentary series on the university’s Boulder campus.

The contract was finalized in late July after Amazon Prime Video announced the renewal of the series in May. It details the agreement between the university and SMAC Productions, a division of SMAC Entertainment, a talent agency based in Los Angeles. SMAC’s business clients include Sanders, Colorado’s football coach, and three players on his team − two-way star Travis Hunter and Sanders’ sons Shedeur and Shilo.

“We were extremely happy with how the last season of the Coach Prime docuseries turned out and are looking forward to working with SMAC on what promises to be another great season,” university spokesman Steve Hurlbert said.

USA TODAY Sports recently obtained the contract, which is unusual in the sense that few college coaches could procure this arrangement – an annual series on Prime Video, produced by his business manager, with wide latitude to film on campus at no charge.

The university sees it as a good deal, in large part because of the publicity it brings as it documents the Colorado football program behind the scenes under Sanders, also known as Coach Prime.

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What is in the Deion Sanders filming contract?

The contract is mostly the same as last year’s, which covered Sanders’ first season at Colorado. It was signed by Sanders’ business manager, Constance Schwartz-Morini, CEO of SMAC Entertainment, along with CU administrator Patrick O’Rourke.

∎ The contract again includes no compensation for the university, which instead sees the publicity from the series as its own form of compensation. By contrast, Michigan received $2.25 million for access and licensing in relation to its behind-the-scenes show on Amazon for the 2017 season.

 Amazon Prime Video declined to share viewership data for the last season of “Coach Prime.”

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∎ SMAC Productions maintains editorial control of the series, with regular input from the university on the series’ content.

“All creative and business decisions in connection with the Series shall be under the sole control of Producer subject only to Producer’s compliance with its express obligations and restrictions set forth herein,” the contract states.

∎ As producer, SMAC Productions is responsible for securing “any and all media releases from any CU Individuals or other individuals who are featured, photographed, filmed or otherwise recorded for the production of the Series.”

∎ The producer has wide latitude for filming on campus. “Producer is hereby irrevocably granted permission to enter and use, film, photograph and record the athletic buildings and facilities of the CU including, without limitation, the CU’s football stadium, practice areas, weight rooms, locker rooms, team meeting rooms, fields, sideline areas, and all other restricted and unrestricted locations within and around the same,” the contract states.

∎ SMAC also has exclusive rights to CU for all television, documentary and episodic programming in all media for any commercial project featuring both Sanders and the CU Football program that might compete with the series until 12 months after the airing of the final episode. This doesn’t include rights to CU games but says CU needs Sanders’ prior written consent to “create its own short-form, non-serialized audiovisual content about CU which contains references to Sanders and CU Football.”

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The university said it does not have any such agreements with Sanders, however.

How long will the ‘Coach Prime’ series run?

The contract states it is CU’s intent to positively collaborate with the producer “to allow production of the Series on the CU campus for the duration of Sanders employment relationship with CU.”

But the CU chancellor may decline to extend the filming of the series on the CU campus beyond the 2024 season. The parties agree to meet to discuss an option to extend the agreement on or about April 1, 2025.

Last year’s series was Season 2 of “Coach Prime” and debuted after Sanders’ first season in Boulder, when the Buffaloes finished 4-8 after starting 3-0. It consisted of six episodes and followed Season 1, which covered Sanders’ final year at Jackson State before his hiring in Boulder.

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“The partnership with CU and SMAC worked very well last year for all parties so we all felt there was little need to make any drastic changes ahead of this season,” Hurlbert said.

Colorado currently is engaged in preseason practices and begins the season Aug. 29 at home against North Dakota State.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com





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Colorado mother says Lakewood crash killed son, left 2 of her children critically injured as driver is arrested

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Colorado mother says Lakewood crash killed son, left 2 of her children critically injured as driver is arrested


A mother is grieving after a crash in the Denver metro area last weekend left her son brain-dead and two of her other children fighting for their lives.

Lakewood police say 22-year-old Andrew Logan Miller has been arrested in connection with the crash, which happened Dec. 6 around 7:30 p.m. near Kipling Parkway and West 6th Avenue.

Police say Miller was driving an SUV southbound on Kipling Parkway at a high rate of speed when it collided with a bus carrying a wrestling team from Central High School, which is located in Grand Junction in Mesa County.

Sixteen people were taken to hospitals.

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Among the injured were three siblings who were riding inside the SUV.

On Friday, their mother, Suleyma Gonzalez, identified them as Julio Gonzalez, 18, Analelly Gonzalez, 17, and Christopher Gonzalez, 14.

Analelly and Christopher remain in critical condition. Julio will never wake up.

“I didn’t want to believe it, until they had to do the second testing where they didn’t find blood going through his brain,” she said. “My other two are in comas.”

Gonzalez said doctors ultimately declared Julio brain-dead.

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She describes her children as disciplined students and ROTC members with plans for the future.

“Two of my kids were going to graduate this year,” she said. “No drugs. No alcohol. They were good kids.”

CBS Colorado’s Tori Mason, right, interviews Suleyma Gonzalez.

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Gonzalez confirmed that Miller, who was driving the SUV at the time of the crash, was her daughter’s boyfriend.

“I know he loved my daughter,” she said. “I don’t think he did this on purpose or intentionally. It was an accident.”

Police say the investigation is ongoing, but believe speed played a major role in the crash.

Miller was arrested Wednesday night and is facing multiple charges, including:

• Vehicular assault (7 counts)
• Speeding 40 mph or more over the limit
• Reckless driving
• Child abuse (2 counts)
• Reckless endangerment

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“My kids know when you get in somebody’s car, there’s always a risk. Always,” she said.

Julio’s organs will be donated. He’s on life support, while the hospital searches for matches.

“He wanted to give to the world,” she said. “Now that I can’t get him back, we want to give life to somebody else.”

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Suleyma Gonzalez with her family  

Suleyma Gonzalez

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Miller is currently being held in the Denver County Jail and is awaiting transfer to the Jefferson County Jail. His bond and court appearance have not yet been announced.

Lakewood police say the investigation remains active.

Gonzalez, a single mother of five, says her focus now is on her surviving children and getting clarity.

“I just want answers.”

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DOJ sues Colorado Secretary of State for failure to release state voter information

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DOJ sues Colorado Secretary of State for failure to release state voter information


DENVER, Colo. (KKTV) – The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced Thursday a lawsuit against the Colorado Secretary of State for failure to produce state voter information.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold claims the DOJ sent a “broad” request for the voter registration rolls on May 12.

Griswold says her office complied with the request and “shared the publicly available data consistent with applicable law.” However, the lawsuit against Griswold says that her office did not respond to the letter.

Griswold sent a letter in November signed by several Secretaries of State to the DOJ and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requesting clarification on how the data would be used, but she claims neither replied to the questions in the letter.

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The lawsuit goes on to allege that DOJ attorney Eric Neff followed up by emailing Secretary Griswold on Dec. 1, requesting Colorado’s Statewide Voter Registration list.

Griswold said this request asked the office to share unredacted voter data, including a voter’s full name, date of birth, residential address, and complete state driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

Griswold responded by email on Dec. 3, stating, “We received your request. We will not be producing unredacted voter files or signing the MOU,” the complaint alleges.

The lawsuit cites the Civil Rights Act, which gives the United States Attorney General the power to demand the production, inspection, and analysis of the statewide voter registration lists.

The DOJ is requesting a judge to declare that Griswold violated the Civil Rights Act and to order her to provide the current electronic copy of Colorado’s statewide voter registration list.

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Griswold’s office released the following statement:

The DOJ released the following statement regarding the lawsuit:



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Toyota Game Recap: 12/11/2025 | Colorado Avalanche

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Toyota Game Recap: 12/11/2025 | Colorado Avalanche


ColoradoAvalanche.com is the official Web site of the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado Avalanche and ColoradoAvalanche.com are trademarks of Colorado Avalanche, LLC. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2025 Colorado Avalanche Hockey Team, Inc. and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved. NHL Stadium Series name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League.



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