Deion Sanders Recommends Proactive Health-Checkups After Bladder Cancer Diagnosis

The University of Colorado football coach and Hall of Fame cornerback had his bladder removed during the off-season after his cancer diagnosis.

Deion Sanders speaks after being introduced as the new head football coach at the University of Colorado during a news conference in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 4, 2022. David Zalubowski/AP Photo

University of Colorado football coach and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders announced on Monday that he was diagnosed with bladder cancer and underwent surgery during the 2025 off-season.

During a news conference alongside Dr. Janet Kukreja, director of urological oncology at the University of Colorado Hospital, Sanders, 57, told reporters he underwent a full bladder removal after doctors discovered a tumor.

“It was dynamic. It was tough. It wasn’t a cakewalk. It wasn’t easy,” said Sanders, noting he lost 25 pounds as a result of the illness. “That was a fight, but we made it.”

His medical team initially discovered the cancer through regular vascular scans, because he had previously suffered from blood clots.

“We proceeded with the removal of the bladder tumor. We removed the tumor,” Kukreja explained. “It was very high grade, invading through the bladder wall, not into the muscle layer, something we call high-risk non-invasive bladder cancer.”

Sanders now has a reconstructed section of his intestine that is used to function as a bladder.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, bladder cancer is relatively rare but has many treatment options, and is considered the fourth-most common cancer found in males.

Currently, Sanders is considered cancer-free by doctors and plans to return to coaching for the Buffaloes as he enters his third season with the team.

“Men, everybody, get checked out. Because if it wasn’t for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn’t have stumbled upon this,” he added.

“Make sure you get the right care because without wonderful people like this, I wouldn’t be sitting here today because it grew so expeditiously. But please get yourself checked.”

The announcement comes as questions have been circulating in recent months regarding Sanders’s health and absence during the off-season.

In a July 27 YouTube video documenting his coaching journey, Sanders candidly opened up about the severity of his cancer during his first meeting with the team on May 9.

“I don’t know if I’m ready mentally, emotionally,” he said. “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 has suffered from a number of ailments in the past, undergoing 14 surgeries since 2021.

He had two toes amputated on his left foot following blood clots in 2021 and another procedure in 2023 to again remove clots from both legs.

Sanders joined Colorado at the start of the 2023 season after his coaching departure from Jackson State. Back in March, he received a $54 million contract extension with the Buffaloes through 2029.