Nicknamed Prime Time and Coach Prime, Deion Sanders recently revealed that he underwent surgery for bladder cancer.
In a press conference on July 28 in Colorado, he shared that doctors removed his bladder and reconstructed a pouch using part of his intestine.
He is now cancer-free, though he’s adjusting to life post-surgery, including dealing with incontinence.
Deion Sanders Announced His Bladder Cancer Diagnosis During Press Conference!
Deion Sanders was diagnosed with bladder cancer in April 2025, just ahead of the NFL Draft.
The diagnosis came unexpectedly during routine scans for a vascular condition.
Despite the situation, he kept the diagnosis private for months, even from his sons, to avoid distracting them during their professional transitions.
In May, Sanders underwent a major surgery in Texas to remove his bladder and reconstruct a new internal pouch using part of his intestine.
The recovery was challenging; he lost around 25 pounds, had to manage a catheter, and faced issues like incontinence.
A glimpse of what Coach Prime went through over the past couple months:
— GUCCE🦬🐦⬛ (@gucceCU) July 28, 2025
A formal Press Conference will be held Tomorrow 11AM MT🙏🦬
🎥@DeionSandersJr pic.twitter.com/ArQyAM0MZ6
Through May, June, and July, Deion stayed strong. He leaned on his faith and got support from close friends like Michael Irvin and Lil Wayne.
He spent time walking, healing, and slowly regaining strength. Finally, on July 28, 2025, Sanders announced that he was cancer-free publicly.
He has since resumed his role as head coach at the University of Colorado.
Deion Sanders Suffered From Severe Blood Clot Complications in His Left Leg, Which Led to the Amputation of Two Toes!
Beyond cancer, Sanders has had a long and serious history with blood clot issues.
While coaching at Jackson State in 2021, he underwent foot surgery. Soon after, doctors discovered femoral arterial blood clots in his left leg.
This led to a dangerous condition called compartment syndrome, where swelling cuts off the blood supply.
As a result, he had two toes amputated and part of his leg muscle removed.
He spent over three weeks in the hospital, and at one point, doctors even considered amputating his leg below the knee.
Then in 2023, Sanders went through more surgeries to remove blood clots from his thigh and lower leg.
His foot was barely getting blood because only one of the usual three arteries was working, and he had no feeling on the bottom of it.
He shared that blood clot issues run in his family, as his mother and two uncles had similar problems, while one of his uncles died from it.
In 2025, while doctors were checking his vascular system for clotting problems, they accidentally found a tumor in his bladder, which led to his cancer diagnosis.
Sanders later said that he didn’t discover the cancer because of symptoms; it was caught early thanks to scans for something else.
His experience shows how one health issue can lead to finding another, and he encourages people, especially men, to get regular checkups.
He once said,
They were trying to ensure I had life… I never thought about death. I got too much life to be thinking about death.
Through everything, Sanders stayed focused on recovery and returned to coaching with determination and faith.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Born August 9, 1967, Sanders’ biological parents, Mims Sanders and Connie Knight, divorced when he was just two years old.
- He was raised by his mother and stepfather, Willie Night. Also, he has a sister named Tracy Knight.
- He was married twice, and both marriages ended in divorce.
