The Colorado Buffaloes are still licking their wounds after a 24-21 loss to No. 23 BYU over the weekend, which pushed Deion Sanders’ team to 2-3 on the season. To make things worse, the Big 12 slapped Colorado with a $50,000 fine after fans broke into anti-BYU chants during the game.
However, while the Buffaloes are down on the field, Sanders is walking a different road this fall. After a year of surgeries and scares, the coach is finally back on the sidelines, healthier, louder, and more inspiring than ever.
Deion Sanders Gets Real on His Cancer Journey and Current Chapter
Recently, Sanders was on the Politely Raw podcast, where he was asked about his health. “I’m good. I only have one problem,” Sanders admitted. “I cannot control my pee.” Then, he turned the struggle into a joke in classic Coach Prime fashion.
He explained that some mornings, he and his 13-month-old grandson, Snow, compare who’s got the heaviest diaper. “My diaper is heavier than his some mornings,” Sanders laughed. That’s the only thing that’s going on.”
Earlier this year, Sanders revealed he had been battling bladder cancer, the reason behind his sudden weight loss that had fans so worried. Already living with amputated toes from blood clots, he had to either remove the bladder and try to erase the cancer completely or undergo chemotherapy.
At first, Sanders hadn’t even shared his diagnosis with his family. When his daughter Deiondra finally learned about the upcoming procedure, it was an emotional moment.
The medical team explained carefully, “The new bladder won’t have the usual signals to your brain, so he won’t automatically know when he needs to use the restroom.” Sanders sat through the whole explanation, quietly playing with his grandson, Snow, as his family processed the news.
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Sanders chose the surgery, and while the operation was successful, recovery has been its own beast. Doctors rebuilt a new bladder for Sanders using part of his small intestine, but the result doesn’t come with the same signals the body usually sends.
“My bladder don’t [sic] know what time it is,” Sanders explained. “Some nights are good, I can make it through the night. Some nights I can’t. So thank God for the pins.”
However, Sanders has never lacked grit. Even when he quietly drew up a will and prepared for the worst, Sanders never let go of his fight. And now, just months later, he’s back on the sidelines, barking at referees, demanding more from his players, and somehow managing to make his health struggles feel like just another obstacle in the game of life.
And as for the Buffaloes, while the loss to BYU was tough, the road ahead is long. Sitting at 2-3, Colorado now faces TCU on the road, hoping to claw their way back to .500.
For Coach Prime, though, the real scoreboard feels different. He’s cancer-free, still coaching, smiling, and teaching everyone around him how to laugh, even when the game gets tough.
