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Deion Sanders is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a football coach at the University of Colorado, and the only athlete to have played in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. But the last few years have been a tougher challenge on his health than any opponent during his football career.
And he’s still finding a way to emerge victorious.
“I got my life back,” Sanders said in a nationally televised interview this week. “I got my arrogance back.”
Sanders revealed during an appearance on “Good Morning America” that he is finally cancer-free. The blood clots that attacked him years ago (resulting in the amputation of multiple toes) and that returned last year, forcing him to undergo an aspiration thrombectomy procedure on his left leg, weren’t even part of the conversation.
DEION SANDERS SAYS HE NEVER QUESTIONED GOD DURING HIS BATTLE WITH BLADDER CANCER
Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes reacts on the field before the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, on November 1, 2025. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
“I’m cancer-free. I’m fine,” Sanders said. “Great doctors in Colorado who [have] he made me pass. God has saved me. I’m grateful, I’m healthy. I got my arrogance back. I’m ready to go, train. And I’m having a good time.
“But early detection was key, because amputation is already known, so they were looking for something else and they stumbled upon this. So early detection helped me tremendously.”
Blood clots forced Sanders to undergo surgery in 2023 to improve his circulation. But last year she began experiencing severe pain in her legs and worried about recurring clots. That led to the clot removal procedure. All of that on top of the 2025 diagnosis of an aggressive form of bladder cancer that was discovered during one of his regularly scheduled vascular exams.
COLORADO ADDS MOBILE BATHROOM NEAR TEAM BENCH FOR SEASON OPENER AFTER DEION SANDERS’ BLADDER CANCER TREATMENT
Cancer treatment included doctors removing his bladder and reconstructing a new one using part of his intestine.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders is on the field before the start of the spring game at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, on April 11, 2026. (Ron Chenoy/Image Images)
That intended solution to one problem caused other problems.
“Now you’re sitting in the room, you don’t know what’s what, you can’t control your bladder,” Sanders said. “You have a whole new bladder. Your bladder doesn’t know you, you don’t know. You’re peeing in bed. I remember going to a talk and the first thing I did, and we left that morning, like 7 a.m. and I had to be there at 830. The first thing I do is grab my crotch. Because I’m like, oh my God, I hope I didn’t pee on myself. I didn’t bring another change of clothes.
“When you’re playing a football game, a night game, we play, we fly back on the plane. The first thing you do is wake up and grab your crotch. Oh my God, I hope I haven’t peed on myself.”
Those potentially embarrassing episodes somehow made money for Sanders. She signed on to be a spokesperson for Depend and its disposable adult incontinence underwear.
“I don’t have to be afraid of traveling anymore,” Sanders said. “I don’t have to be afraid to get a good night’s sleep. I have the product to help me.”
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders prepares before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado on November 22, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Image Images)
With his health issues seemingly in retreat, Sanders is ready to take on another challenge he feels more comfortable with: coaching the Buffaloes next season.
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“Winning,” Sanders responded when asked what he hopes for next. “And I’m healthy. I got my health back. I got my arrogance back… I got my self back. You know, last year, this time, I’m fighting cancer. I didn’t know what path I was going to take…
“But I’m totally back. Last year, [at] This time it wasn’t a good look.”
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