Man, didn’t your heart just drop listening to Deion Sanders and his admission about cancer? The Colorado head coach shared the distressing development in a press conference, finally clearing the air about his sudden departure from Boulder. But despite the serious blow, Coach Prime is keeping that fighter spirit alive. He made an impassioned plea to his fans after going through this immensely troubling time.

Coach Prime addressed the press on July 28, bearing it all about his abrupt disappearance. He received a cancer diagnosis some months ago, and Deion Sanders was suddenly staring at a dark, dark future. While undergoing a procedure for some other issues, it was revealed that his bladder had a tumor. That discovery sprang everyone into action. Dr. Janet Kukreja, who treated Coach Prime, said that he underwent another procedure to remove the bladder and the cancerous tumor.

Sanders has a good outlook for now, Kukreja confirmed, and he is “cured.” But an ordeal like that will shake anybody, sending them into a panic. “Please get yourself checked up. Get checked up. It could’ve been a whole other gathering if I hadn’t,” Coach Prime warned. That alone shows how scared the Sanders clan was, already thinking of the worst. Deion Sanders also scarily lost 25 pounds, he said.

The cancer diagnosis must’ve rocked through Coach Prime’s world. In May, Deion Sanders had already drafted a will, heartbreakingly planning for a dark event. “It’s not easy at all to think that you may not be here,” he said in a video on his Instagram, absolutely shaken as he tried to talk about his ailment. But we know Deion Sanders is a fighter. Despite such a serious condition, Coach Prime quashed all talks of his exit from college football.

Deion Sanders all in on coaching Colorado after fighting cancer

The Deion Sanders we see in that Instagram video is so markedly different from how we usually see him. He sat dejected and seemed to be absolutely broken—everything he said was also interrupted by long pauses. The gravity of his condition was only relayed to a select few, who came to visit the ailing coach at home. But the one thing we know for sure about Sanders is that he will not give up, period. It is that same spirit that got him to where he is today.

“I always knew I was going to coach again. I was always going to coach. It was never in my spirit, in my heart, that God wouldn’t allow me to coach again,” he said emphatically. He’s not quite there yet, as it’s only been a few months since this tragedy unfolded. But his faith and dedication are sure to get him back up. “Slowly but surely, I built myself back up to where I’m able, I’m strong, I’m ready,” Sanders said. “I’m still probably about 12 pounds down. I’m going to get that right. … But it has been a tremendous journey, and I’m truly thankful that God – God is so good,” he added.

The much-awaited 2025 season opener with TCU is going to be a deafening one, now that Deion Sanders will be returning to the sidelines once again. Nobody is ready to bid goodbye to him this abruptly from college football. Fans are heaping prayers and well-wishes for their coach, awaiting his comeback. Here’s wishing a speedy recovery to the legend.