Deion Sanders confirms he’s cancer free after bladder removal; speaks candidly about condition
The press conference was held at 11 a.m. Monday, which you can watch below.
BOULDER, Colo. (KRDO) -- University of Colorado (CU) head coach Deion Sanders holds a press conference to discuss undisclosed health issues this offseason that kept him from the team.
Sanders announced that he was diagnosed with a bladder tumor, which was positive for cancer. Sanders' oncologist confirmed that after surgery, he is now cancer-free.
Dr. Janet Kukreja, the director of urologic oncology at the CU Cancer Center/UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, says she does consider Sanders cured, which isn't a word she uses lightly.
A local Urologist with the Colorado Springs Urological Association gave KRDO13 more context about the bladder removal surgery.
"It's a big deal," Dr. Brett Jepson said. "I don't know if he wound up having what's called a neo-bladder or if he had a conduit, but it's taking out the entire urinary bladder and typically the prostate in men."
Dr. Jepson was not a part of Sanders' surgery. Instead, he's providing background for how the surgery typically goes.
Despite the diagnosis, Sanders is still dealing with his new reality without a bladder.
"I cannot control my bladder," Sanders said.
Sanders was not afraid to share about his struggles with no bladder control.
"If you see a porta potty on the sidelines, it's real," Sanders said. "Like my grandson, we're the same thing. We've got the same problems right now. We're going through the same trials and tribulations, who has the heaviest bag at the end of the night. It's ridiculous."
"My goodness, he just laid it all out there," bladder cancer patient Ron Douglas said.
Douglas is from Colorado and has had bladder cancer since 2011. He's involved with the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN). He said it's hard for people to open up about their problems peeing. He said Sanders' words help normalize the problem and raise awareness for the issue.
"I'm immensely gratified that this man of quite a stature, a CU football coach and all, came forth to not just tell his story, but he does it quite in depth," Douglas said.
BCAN released the following statement of its own.
“On behalf of the entire BCAN community, we send our best wishes to Coach Prime for a smooth and full recovery,” said Meri-Margaret Deoudes, CEO of BCAN. “We are deeply grateful to him for courageously sharing his journey, which helps raise critical awareness about this all-too-common disease. His story is a powerful reminder that anyone can be impacted by bladder cancer.”
Dr. Jepson also commended Sanders' bravery.
"I think anybody, especially someone who has the ear of the public, talking about their health problems brings things to light," Jepson said. "It's amazing. Congratulations. Good job to Deion for doing that."
Sanders says he dropped 25 pounds after surgery.
"You have no idea how good God has been to me," Sanders said emotionally after revealing his journey with cancer.
Dr. Janet Kukreja says that Sanders had his bladder removed, and a new bladder was created from his small intestine, which creates no chance of rejection.
"Get checked out," Sanders stressed during the press conference, encouraging men and everyone to take their health seriously.
When Sanders was asked during the press conference how he reacted to staring death in the face, Sanders replied, "I didn't stare death in the face, I stared life in the face." he went on to say, "I have too much life to be thinking about death."
CU announced that tickets for the upcoming football season were sold out for the third consecutive year.
The football team will start its season at home against Georgia Tech on Friday, Aug. 29.
View the teams' 2025 football game schedule here.
Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.
