Deion Sanders can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to his health. The 58-year-old Colorado head coach was visibly in pain during the Buffaloes’ 35-21 loss to TCU, sitting at times late in the game and removing his left shoe to relieve the throbbing. “Cat’s out of the bag, all right. I think I’ve got more blood clots,” Sanders told reporters postgame. “It don’t make sense. I’m hurting like crazy. I’m not getting blood to my leg. That’s why my leg is throbbing.” This isn’t new territory for Sanders; he had two toes amputated on his left foot in 2021 due to blood clot issues while coaching at Jackson State, and he missed Pac-12 media day in 2023 after procedures to remove clots from his right leg.

​​Now Sanders has announced he’s undergoing another procedure, addressing his health situation with the faith and determination that’s defined his entire coaching career. “I am having a procedure today. Prayerfully, I’ll be right back at practice tomorrow. Cause I don’t miss practice, I don’t plan on doing such,” Coach Prime said in his health update. “It is what it is. Found what we found. I have a wonderful team of doctors at UC Health and a team of wonderful trainers here. It has nothing to do with me working at the level and competing… it is hereditary. It is what it is. I trust God with all my heart.”

The last part of his monologue is extremely important. Sanders has clarified that the clots are not lifestyle-inflicted damage. They have not been caused by overwork or any of his lifestyle decisions, but rather are genetic predispositions that he is forced to manage. After beating cancer earlier this year, Sanders reflected on his journey: “When we hear that word, it’s usually a life sentence attached to it. But not this time. Not this time, because God got me.” That same faith is carrying him through this latest setback.

Sanders’ situation is bad, but he fails to bow down to his problems. Deion has always been so remarkable that he refuses to let these mounting issues derail his mission at Colorado. Even when the Buffaloes struggle at 2-4 with a 0-3 in the Big 12, he coaches with a urostomy bag, deals with chronic pain, and faces blood clots that require another surgery. Sanders has made it his mission to inspire others through his adversity, telling Good Morning America, “I choose to rise up and not to stay down. I want everybody to understand you can make it. We’ve all got something to fight. It may not be cancer, but it’s something. But you will overcome. We can do this.”

The road ahead is not easy for Deion, either physically or coaching-wise. Colorado will be facing No. 14 Iowa State next, and Sanders will have to manage both his pain and recovery while he tries his hardest to turn around the season that has already fallen to the depths. But as we all know, if there’s one coach who can pull off theatrics like these, it’s Deion. His legacy, at this point, is far beyond wins and losses. It’s about how many times you can stand up after being knocked down. Because Deion stands up every goddarn time, and that’s why he is such a legend.

Coach Prime keeps his focus where it belongs

Deion Sanders isn’t about to get distracted by NFL drama when his Colorado Buffaloes are sitting at 2-4 and winless in Big 12 play. When asked about the Browns trading away Joe Flacco, which elevated Shedeur Sanders to QB2 behind Dillon Gabriel, Coach Prime gave one of the most quintessentially Deion responses imaginable: “I don’t give a darn about the Browns, I care about the Colorado Buffaloes. I do love me some Shedeur Sanders though, believe that. I care about him. The rest of that, I don’t, Okay? I’m a coach trying to win just like they’re trying to win.” It’s the perfect balance of protective father and laser-focused head coach, delivered with the kind of bluntness that’s become his trademark. 

The situation in Cleveland has been messy, to put it mildly. Shedeur went from being one of college football’s most productive quarterbacks to barely getting any meaningful snaps behind a struggling Browns team that’s 1-3 and just benched Joe Flacco after four games. ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Rizzo even suggested that Deion should use his influence to get Shedeur traded somewhere he’d actually have a chance to play, especially since the Browns will likely use one of their two first-round picks in 2026 on another quarterback. 

When Gabriel was promoted instead of Shedeur, it was a clear message about where the organization sees the former Colorado star in their plans. and it wasn’t good news. Deion posted a cryptic message on social media around that time: “Who told u life would be easy? Who said your dreams would come readily & who told u that u wouldn’t have to work for everything? They LIED.” But when directly asked about the Browns situation, he made it clear he’s not getting involved in Shedeur’s NFL career beyond being a supportive father.