Deion Sanders Reveals He Is Cancer Free, After Having Tumor Removed From His Bladder

Deion Sanders announced on Monday that he was diagnosed with bladder cancer and has been battling it over the past four months. But in the best news possible, he is now cancer-free, 

The Colorado head coach has been away from his Colorado team since the medical issue first occurred in April, just a few weeks after the Buffaloes spring game. 

Since that point, Sanders had been recovering from his health situation at his Texas ranch, missing out on a number of important events, including the wedding of former player Travis Hunter. In early July, Deion made an appearance at Big 12 media days to promote Colorado's upcoming season, which was also the first time he had seen his players since April. 

Deion Sanders was sent to a urologist following a scan in April. He was diagnosed with a bladder tumor at the time, where doctors removed it through a procedure. The head coach also made the decision to have his bladder removed during the procedure, which he dealt with a catheter, along with bags attached to his hip. 

Deion Sanders Reveals He Is Cancer Free, After Having Tumor Removed From His Bladder

Doctors said that he was diagnosed with "very high-risk non-invasive bladder cancer", which led to a full bladder removal. 

He announced on Monday that he is cancer-free, alongside Dr. Janet Kukreja. 

"Whenever you hear the C-word, there’s normally a life sentence attached to it," Sanders said emotionally. "But not this time. Not this time.

"We helping some folks today. Folks that haven’t seen doctors in years, they’re going to get checked up now."

Doctors revealed that the diagnosis was made during Spring practice, and by the month of May, the procudeure was already done. 

On Sunday night, his son released a short video showing Deion Sanders speaking about having to make a will for his family, in light of recent events pertaining to his medical situation. 

"It was never in my spirit to not be coaching again. God had plans for me," Sanders noted. 

This has clearly been an emotional few months for the family, as his son Deion Sanders Jr. has documented on his own YouTube channel. Although they did not get into specifics on social media, there was plenty of concern for the NFL Hall of Famer, especially with so much secrecy around Deion's health. 

"It was so wonderful to see my team yesterday, it was phenomenal," Sanders said about discussing their situation with his team. 

Speaking with the media on Monday afternoon in Boulder, Sanders had representatives from CU Health next to him at the press conference, who also answered questions about Deion's medical situation. At Big 12 media days, it was mentioned that Colorado medical officials were also making trips to Texas in an effort to help Sanders with his recovery. 

"I'm already back," Deion Sanders said at Big 12 media days. "I'm here today. I'm handling my responsibilities. So I look forward to it. I can't wait. You've got to understand, some of the young [players] I haven't even met yet. I'm so excited about that."

This has been a strenuous few years for Sanders, who dealt with blood clots during his time at Jackson State, leading to him having a few toes amputated in the process. 

Deion Sanders Looking Ahead To The Future, After Beating Cancer

The biggest question moving forward is not what this year's Colorado team will look like on the field. 

After finishing last season with a 9-4 record, Deion Sanders was given a $54 million contract extension by athletic director Rick George. 

There's currently a battle for the starting quarterback job, with Kaidon Salter and 5-Star freshman Julian Lewis getting set to battle for the position during fall camp. In a perfect world, Salter would be the guy, while Lewis continues to grow as a college football quarterback. 

"I always knew I was going to coach again. It was never in my spirit, in my heart, that God wouldn’t allow me to coach again," Sanders noted. 

Obviously, this is going to be an interesting year for Colorado, given how much the team has used the transfer portal to build a roster over the past three years. There have been multiple wins in the recruiting department, as 5-star offensive lineman Jordon Seaton enters his second season at Colorado. 

Thanks to portal additions Xavier Hill (Memphis) and Zy Crisler (Illinois), the line of scrimmage could take a step forward, even though Shedeur Sanders was looking up to the sky plenty of times last year.

As for the head coach, he was his usual self on Monday, and is now cancer-free. This is the best news we could hear, given the past four months.