Deion Sanders addresses coaching future after battle with bladder cancer
By Mark Kern
Published:
Deion Sanders has been absent from the media over the past couple of months, with his lone appearance being at the Big 12 Media Days earlier in the month. There, he was asked questions pertaining to his health, but he declined to answer those questions.
On Monday, Sanders held a press conference with Dr. Janet Kukreja and told reporters that he had his bladder removed after doctors discovered a tumor there. Fortunately, Sanders has been declared cancer-free by his medical team.
As for his coaching future, Sanders revealed he was adamant throughout the process that he would return to coaching:
“I always knew I was going to coach again,” Sanders told reporters. “I was always going to coach. It was never in my spirit or my heart that God wouldn’t allow me to coach. I never thought like that. I didn’t want to be running down to the hospital once a week with all of this on my plate. I was thinking, can they bring one of the machines and put it in the office?”
His assistant coaches have been helping to fill the void while he is gone, but Sanders was clear that the program will not have to rely on the assistants moving forward. His point was that he’s fully back in his role, and the coaching staff is whole heading into the 2025 season.
“I’m not relying on them, I’m back, baby,” Sanders said. “I’m going to be with them. They cover for me, but we are going to cover for one another. I love them, I love the staff. Thank God they are good enough that I don’t have to babysit. I don’t have to be there every day, and I know they are going to take care of it.”
Colorado is entering a new era, as the team will have to replace a lot of talent from last season’s team. The first and biggest player to replace is Travis Hunter, who won the Heisman Trophy last season with his incredible performance at both the wide receiver and defensive back positions. Also gone for the Buffaloes is quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who helped lead one of the most potent offenses in the country last year.
On Monday, coach Sanders made an emphatic point that he will be on the sidelines for the Buffaloes moving forward this season, and the schedule is tough for the team from the very beginning. The Buffaloes will host Georgia Tech on Aug. 29, with kickoff taking place at 8 p.m. ET and the game on ESPN.
