Colorado football coach Deion Sanders and his medical team revealed that he had bladder cancer and had his bladder removed but is now cured.
He held a news conference Monday, July 28 in Colorado to discuss it after being away at his estate in east Texas in May and June while he recovered. He was accompanied at the news conference by his doctor, Janet Kukreja, and Colorado athletic trainer Lauren Askevold.
‘It’s been a tremendous journey,’ Sanders said.
He said he lost 25 pounds and ‘can’t pee like I used to pee’ but was grateful and is starting his third season as coach at Colorado.
‘I depend on Depend,’ Sanders said with a sense of humor, referring to the underwear brand for incontinence. He also encouraged men to get screened for the condition.
‘I always knew I was going to coach again,’ Sanders said, ending any rumors that he planned to retire. But he noted he is going through a lifestyle change with his recovery. He joked that his baby grandson, Snow, has the same issue with urination, and ‘we see who has the heaviest bag at the end of the night.’
‘If you see a Porta Potty on the sideline, it’s real, OK?’ Sanders said.
How Deion Sanders discovered his cancer
He said he didn’t have symptoms but instead was checked for his other vascular issues. The checkup ended up leading to the discovery of the cancer.
Askevold said Sanders was aware of the situation in April and had the surgery by early May.
Kukreja said it was a “very high-risk, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.” She added that if it did progress to the muscle, the rate of metastasis is about 50% and that only about 10% of people live five years.
Sanders then faced two general options. He could get recurring treatment for it, which would include regular trips to medical facilities. Kukreja said there’s about a 50-percent rate of recurrence in this case. Or he could have the bladder removed. He chose the latter so he could dedicate more time to his team and family. The procedure was assisted by a robot and involved making a new bladder from his small intestine.
“I didn’t want to be running down to the hospital once a week,” Sanders said
Sanders thanked an array of supporters who helped him, including former NFL receiver Randy Moss. Sanders said Moss called him every other day.
‘Get checked out, because It could have been a whole ‘nother gathering if I hadn’t,’ Sanders said, implying a funeral instead.
Deion Sanders’ health history
Sanders, 57, declined to disclose his condition until now, even though he acknowledged in late May that he had suffered an unspecified health setback. He missed several events during that time, including the May 24 wedding of his star player from last year, Travis Hunter, along with Colorado’s annual youth and high school football camps on campus in June. Recruits who came to campus in June were told he was out sick. He also missed a speaking appearance scheduled for June 8 in Florida but still said he was OK on social media without revealing what the problem was.
He made an appearance at a Big 12 Conference media days event in Frisco, Texas, July 9, but declined to talk about his health. He didn’t return to Colorado until July 25, two days before his players were due to report to campus for the start of preseason camp.
He has a history of blood circulation issues in his legs and has said blood clots run in the family, with one uncle dead because of it. He spent 23 days in the hospital in the fall of 2021 and said he nearly died there as he battled compartment syndrome on his left leg and had two toes amputated from his left foot. He missed three games because of it that season as head coach at Jackson State in Mississippi but healed enough to lead his team to a 11-2 record that season, including the three games he missed.
He underwent more surgeries to fix blood clots in the summer of 2023 and even had to miss a Pac-12 media days event because of it.
What does Deion Sanders’ contract say in this regard?
He agreed to a new five-year contract earlier this year worth more than $10 million per year. It requires him to notify the athletic director if he’s absent for more than five consecutive working days.
It has a disability provision:
“If after engaging in the interactive process with the University’s Center for Disability & Access, Coach is deemed unable to perform the essential functions of his job with or without reasonable accommodation, this Agreement will automatically terminate, and Sanders’ salary and all other benefits shall end in the month of such termination notice.”
If he decided to retire from coaching, it says he wouldn’t have to pay liquidated damages to the university to buy out his contract but would owe some damages if he retired and then changed his mind to coach somewhere else.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com