Stephen A. Smith commends Deion Sanders for being vulnerable with cancer battle
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Stephen A. Smith shared his thoughts on Deion Sanders’s Monday announcement, which included the head coach detailing his offseason battle with bladder cancer.
For months, there were reports that Sanders was battling with an offseason health issue, but the details were kept private. Until Monday, when Sanders and his medical team revealed that Sanders had his bladder removed, which has resulted in the head coach adjusting to a new normal in his life.
During Tuesday’s broadcast of First Take, Smith dove into his admiration for Sanders and his willingness to divulge the intensity of his private struggle:
“It’s hard to put into words. He’s a beautiful person,” said Smith. “People who know him, who he talks to, he confides in. People see the public persona, he walks into a room, he just has that magnetic effect, and he just takes over. He’s able to disguise a lot of things if he so chooses to do so, and the fact that he has been so open with his struggles throughout the years is just a testament, not only to his will and how blessed he feels he is, but the importance to him of being able to bless others.”
Smith also took the opportunity to reiterate Sanders’s message to the general public: Take care of your health, and get yourself checked regularly. Without health, there’s not much else to do in life:
“There’s no wealth without health. Deion Sanders has it all. I mean, he’s a Hall of Famer, he’s universally recognized as one of the greatest athletes we have ever seen in the history of mankind, now he’s proving to be a phenomenal coach,” Smith explained. “… he’s extending it now to all of us by just reminding us to prioritize taking care of yourself, putting God first and doing everything you can to be the best you can possibly be.”
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
