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Deion Sanders is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, the football coach at the University of Colorado and the only athlete ever to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. But the last few years have been a tougher challenge to his health than any opponent has ever been during his football career.
And he’s still finding a way to come out victorious.
“I got my life back,” Sanders said in a nationally televised interview this week. “I got my cheater back.”
Sanders revealed during a “Good Morning America” appearance that he is finally cancer-free. The blood clots that attacked him years ago — resulting in the amputation of several toes — and returned last year, forcing him to undergo an aspiration thrombectomy procedure in his left leg, weren’t even part of the conversation.
DEION SANDERS SAYS HE NEVER QUESTIONS GOD DURING HIS BATTLE WITH BLADDER CANCER
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders reacts on the field before the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., on Nov. 1, 2025. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
“I’m cancer-free. I’m fine,” Sanders said. “Excellent doctors in Colorado that [have] brought me through. God has brought me through. I am grateful, I am healthy. I got my cheater back. Just as I’m ready to go, my ass works out. And I feel good.
“But early detection was the key to getting started early, because you know amputation, so they were checking for something else and came across this. So early detection helped me tremendously.”
Blood clots forced Sanders to undergo surgery in 2023 to improve his circulation. But last year he started experiencing severe leg pain and worries about the recurring blood clots. That led to the procedure to remove the clot. All that on top of the 2025 diagnosis of an aggressive form of bladder cancer that was discovered during one of his regularly scheduled vascular examinations.
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The cancer treatment included doctors removing his bladder and reconstructing a new one using part of his bowel.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders stands on the field before the start of the spring game at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., on April 11, 2026. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
The intended solution to one problem caused other problems.
“Now you’re sitting in the room, don’t know what’s what, can’t control your bladder,” Sanders said. “You got a brand new bladder. Your bladder doesn’t know you, you don’t know it. You pee the bed. I remember going to a speaking engagement and the first thing I do, and we left that morning, like 7 in the morning, and I had to be there at 8:30. The first thing I do is grab my crotch. Because I feel like, oh, my God, I brought another. clothes.
“When you play a football game, night game we played, we fly back on the plane. The first thing you do is wake up and grab your crotch. Oh, God, I hope I didn’t pee on myself.”
These potentially embarrassing episodes made Sanders money. He signed on to be a spokesperson for Depend and its disposable underwear for adult incontinence.
“I don’t have to be afraid to travel 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, Colo., on Nov. 22, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
With his health issues seemingly on the back burner, Sanders is ready to take on another challenge he’s more comfortable tackling — coaching the Buffaloes this coming season.
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“Winning,” Sanders replied when asked what he’s looking forward to next. “And I’m healthy. I got my health back. I got my cheater back…I got my me back. You know, last year, this time, I’m fighting cancer. Didn’t know which way it was going to go…
“But I’m all the way back now. Last year, [at] this time it didn’t look good.”
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