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Deion Sanders offered an update about his recent health struggles after weeks of mystery.
Sanders, 57, revealed he recently underwent surgery for a cancerous tumor on his bladder during a press conference at the University of Colorado on Monday, July 28.
The NFL Hall of Famer, who has been the head coach at the school since December 2022, announced he is now cancer-free after having his bladder removed.
“This wasn’t easy,” Sanders said. “Men, everybody, get checked out. Because if it wasn’t for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn’t have stumbled up on this.”
Without proper care, Sanders questioned if he’d even “be sitting here today.”
Sanders said he has lost “about 25 pounds” and described the diagnosis and subsequent surgery as “a tremendous journey.”
“Dealing with the catheter, dealing with all the stuff I had to deal with,” Sanders described. “Right now I’m still dealing with going to the bathroom. It’s a whole life change. I’m going to be transparent, I can’t pee like I used to pee.”
Sanders joked that people should be surprised to see portable toilets on the sidelines when he and the Buffaloes return to the field this fall.
The announcement came after the nine-time Pro Bowler revealed he had crafted a will earlier this year.
“I don’t know if I’m ready, mentally, emotionally,” Sanders said in a YouTube video released on Sunday, July 27. “Last night was tough, yesterday was tough.”
The footage showed Sanders sitting on the table during a doctor’s visit on May 9.
“I had to make a will,” Sanders explained. “That’s not easy. At all. To think that you might not be here. But you want to make sure everybody’s straight.”
Sanders is the father of five children. He shares daughter Deiondra, 33, and son Deion Jr., 31, with his first wife, Carolyn Chambers. Deion shares sons Shilo, 25, and Shedeur, 23, and daughter Shelomi, 21, with his second wife, Pilar Biggers-Sanders.
Pilar, 50, and Deion finalized their divorce in 2013.
Deion returned to practice at the University of Colorado on Friday, July 25, after spending the majority of the last few months at his home in Texas.
“Back and feeling great!” Deion posted via X on Friday.
The head coach’s return followed weeks of uncertainty surrounding his health, with USA Today reporting on June 9 that Deion was dealing with an “unspecified health issue” that was keeping him away from team activities.
Deion was also forced to cancel a scheduled speaking engagement at the Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on June 8.
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“Due to an unavoidable last-minute scheduling change, our originally scheduled Foundation Keynote Speaker, Deion Sanders ‘Coach Prime,’ is unable to attend,” the organization posted via X on June 5. “We are grateful for his support and look forward to future opportunities to welcome him.”
In a YouTube livestream on June 7, Deion Jr. insisted his father was “feeling well.”
“When we get back in Boulder, I don’t know,” Deion Jr. said. “I’m waiting until my dad leaves. When he leaves, then I’ll go. Until then, I’m gonna sit here with him.”
English (US) ·