Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders announced Monday he was diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier this year.
Sanders held a news conference to reveal the news as Colorado embarks on fall camp ahead of the 2025 season. Dr. Janet Kukreja, Sanders’ doctor at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, said Sanders had his bladder removed after a malignant tumor was found and that he had been “cured” from the cancer.
“The process wasn’t easy,” Sanders said as he relayed that doctors presented him with multiple options to deal with the cancer.
Kukreja said the type of cancer Sanders was dealing with had a high recurrence rate and that he decided to go forward with the “curative” option of having his bladder removed.
Sanders, 57, said that he knew he had surgery upcoming for the tumor as his son Shedeur Sanders dealt with a rough draft weekend after he fell from a possible first-round NFL Draft pick to the fifth round.
“There was some scenes you saw, all the bull junk that’s transpired on draft day,” Sanders said. “It wasn’t just that. It was just, I knew as well I had a surgery coming up. My sons, to this day, don’t know what transpired, I just told them it was something with my foot, because I wanted to give them the focus on making the team and not focused on dad.”
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The Pro Football Hall of Famer had been away from the team and at his home in Texas after spring practice to deal with health issues. He appeared at Big 12 media days earlier in July and declined to answer questions about his health while at the podium during his appearance there.
He said Monday that not continuing to coach never crossed his mind after he was diagnosed and that Randy Moss had been a source of strength for him in their conversations. Moss was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in 2024 and is set to return full-time to his role at ESPN for the 2025 football season.
Colorado assistant athletic trainer Lauren Askevold said Sanders’ cancer discovery came after he went through his routine vascular tests. The training staff received a call from his primary care doctor after the vascular tests, and the process of setting up a visit with a urologist and diagnosing what was going on began.
Kukreja said that Sanders’ tumor was discovered early before it had a chance to metastasize into something even more serious.
“I didn’t have any signs,” Sanders said.
Sanders detailed what he’s gone through since the surgery and said that he “can’t pee like I used to pee. It’s totally different.” He also said he had lost 25 pounds at one point.
“I depend on Depend if you know what I mean,” Sanders said. “I cannot control my bladder. So I get up to go to the bathroom already 4-5 times a night. And I’m sitting there waking up like my grandson. We in the same thing. We got the same problem right now. We’re going through the same trials and tribulations.”
Sanders said fans will likely see a portable toilet on the sidelines of Colorado games this fall and said he wanted to serve as an example for people who may also be going through similar cancer diagnoses. His new bladder was created with parts of his intestine.
“It’s just totally different and I know there’s a lot of people out there going through what I am going through and dealing with what I am dealing with and let’s stop being ashamed of it and let’s deal with it. And let’s deal with it head on.”
Sanders’ news conference came after he posted to social media that he had recently completed his will. He said he informed his coaching staff and his team of the cancer diagnosis on Sunday.
“You don’t want to be a fool and leave and not have your business affairs in order,” Sanders said.
The vascular tests are routine for Sanders after he had two toes amputated on his left foot in 2021 while he was the coach at Jackson State. The toes were removed after Sanders had dealt with a blood clot and compartment syndrome. He said Monday he’s had 14 surgeries since 2021.
Sanders is entering his third season as Colorado’s head coach. The Buffaloes went 9-4 in 2024 after going 4-8 in his first season in Boulder.
