Deion Sanders reveals bladder cancer diagnosis

Deion Sanders reveals bladder cancer diagnosis

Coach Deion Sanders revealed he needed to have his bladder removed after he was diagnosed with cancer over the offseason. Sanders told the public: "Make sure you get the right care because without wonderful people like this, I wouldn?t be sitting here today because it grew so expeditiously. But please get yourself checked."

BOULDER, Colo. - Colorado coach Deion Sanders shared that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer but after surgery his oncologist considered him cured.

The football coach at the University of Colorado-Boulder, along with his medical team, publicly addressed his health battle in a news conference Monday.

Deion Sanders reveals bladder cancer diagnosis

What they're saying:

Janet Kukreja, the director of urologic oncology at the CU Cancer Center/UCHealth University of Colorado hospital, said Sanders had his bladder removed as part of the surgical plan.

"I am pleased to report that the results from the surgery are that he is cured from the cancer," she shared.

Sanders added, "I'm thankful. It's been a tremendous journey. It has been tough. I think I dropped 25 pounds."

FILE - Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders talks during day two of Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday, July 09, 2025 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX. (Photo by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

He plans to oversee the Buffaloes this season as he enters his third season at Colorado.

"I wanted to see the new talent that we brought in. I wanted to see them work, see them, try and coach them as good I could. But slowly but surely, I built myself back up to where I'm able. I'm strong. I'm ready," Sanders continued.

Deion Sanders returns to coach at Colorado

The backstory:

Sanders, who turns 58 next month, spoke to the media on the eve of fall camp. He brought his medical team with him to discuss his diagnosis.

Since overseeing Colorado’s spring game April 19, Sanders hadn’t attended football camps in Boulder. 

The school had said last month, amid reports that the coach was ill, that it could not say why he was absent. Sanders did not specifically answer any questions about his health.

Sanders declined to address his health at a Big 12 football media event earlier this month. 

It was initially unclear if the latest health issues were new. Sanders has struggled with his left foot since having two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clot issues while at Jackson State. 

He missed Pac-12 media day in 2023, his first year at Colorado, after a procedure to remove a blood clot from his right leg and another to straighten toes on his left foot.

"I’m looking good. I’m living lovely. God has truly blessed me," he said at the time. "Not a care in the world. Not a want or desire in the world."

Sanders is 13-12 in his two seasons with the revived Buffaloes, who in their return to the Big 12 last season missed making the league championship game on a tiebreaker after being one of four teams to finish 7-2 in conference play.

Colorado Buffaloes' new season starts on August 29

He is under contract with the Buffaloes through the 2029 season after agreeing to a new $54 million, five-year deal this spring that made him the Big 12’s highest-paid coach. That replaced the final three years of the $29.5 million, five-year deal he got when he arrived from Jackson State, where he was 27-6 in three seasons.

The Buffaloes kick off the season on Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech at Folsom Field. It will be the first season in quite some time that he hasn’t coached one of his sons. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was drafted by the Cleveland Browns while Shilo, a safety, is in camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes went 4-8 in his first season and 9-4 last season, with an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. They have big shoes to fill in replacing Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.