BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado coach Deion Sanders disclosed Monday that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer but after surgery his oncologist has considered him cured, so he plans to coach this season.
Dr. Janet Kukreja, 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.
“It was dynamic. It was tough. It wasn’t a cakewalk. It wasn’t easy,” said Sanders, who arrived to his news conference wearing a cowboy hat and overalls along with sunglasses, which he removed after getting choked up. “That was a fight, but we made it.”
Sanders, who turns 58 next month, has drawn headlines for his health, but the focus largely was on two toes he's had amputated and concerns over blood clots. He said he’s had 14 surgeries since 2021, when he was still the coach at Jackson State, but kept his cancer fight private.
Sanders spoke on the eve of fall camp as he enters his third season overseeing the Buffaloes. He brought his medical team with him to discuss his diagnosis. It was revealed that a section of his intestine was reconstructed to function as a bladder. He won't need radiation or chemotherapy, Kukreja said.
“The ‘C’ word, when we hear that word there’s normally a life sentence attached to it,” Sanders said. “But not this time. But not this time.”
Sanders said he lost about 25 pounds, leading him to joke, “I was like Atlanta Falcons Prime at one point.”
He later added: “I truly depend on Depend, if you know what I mean. I can’t control my bladder. ... Let’s not be ashamed of it. Let’s deal with it head on."
Just Sanders being Sanders — he remained upbeat throughout the entire process, his medical team said.
“He never folded one time and never wavered,” team trainer Lauren Askevold said. “You couldn’t ask for a better patient because he wants to get up and get going right away. ... It’s been a hectic journey. It’s been a lot. But there’s a blessing in disguise with all of this.”
Never once did Sanders waver in his belief that he would return to the sideline.
“I always knew I was going to coach again. It was never in my spirit, in my heart, that God wouldn’t allow me to coach again,” he said. “I just didn’t want to be running down to the hospital once a week when I have all of this on my plate. I don’t want that. I was like, ‘OK, can they bring one of those machines and put them in the office?’”
Athletic director Rick George echoed Sanders.
“He’s so positive, and he said he’d be back,” George said. “I had every confidence that he would be.”
While he dealt with the cancer diagnosis, Sanders said he had plenty of friends and family check in on him. Among those who reached out was fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, who took a leave of absence from ESPN in early December after having surgery for his cancer.
“Randy Moss called me every other day to make sure I was straight,” Sanders said. “Randy Moss prayed for me — he and his wife. Told me what I needed to be doing.”
Sanders repeatedly stressed the importance of early detection. His cancer was discovered when he went for an annual CT scan as a precaution given his history with blood clots.
“We’re lucky to have found it at this stage where I could say the word cure,” Kukreja said, “because I don’t use that word lightly as a cancer doctor.”
The charismatic coach missed football camps in Boulder this summer amid reports that he’s been ill. He returned to campus last week and announced on social media, “Back and Feeling Great!”
On Sunday, the production crew of “Well Off Media,” which chronicles Sanders and the Buffaloes, posted a video on YouTube of the coach’s first meeting with the team. Included is a scene dated May 9 in which Sanders said: “I don’t know if I’m ready mentally, emotionally. Last night was tough, yesterday was tough, because I had to make a will. That’s not easy at all, to think that you may not be here.”
Sanders used humor Monday to talk about drafting a will, saying it was a chance to rank his kids. Jokes aside, he added: "You don’t want to be a fool and leave and not have your business affairs in order.”
Sanders has dealt with other health issues. Several of them have involved his left foot since having two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clot issues while he was coaching at Jackson State. He missed Colorado's media day in 2023, his inaugural year, after a procedure to remove a blood clot from his right leg and another to straighten toes on his left foot.
In March, Sanders signed a contract extension through the 2029 season.
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.
“I never look down. I'm always looking up and I'm always trying to go get it," Deion Sanders said. “I want to be the best Prime I can be for everybody. For everybody.”
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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