Deion Sanders reveals painful struggles after bladder cancer surgery: ‘Thank God I depend on Depends’

The two-time Super Bowl champion shared the physical and emotional toll of his diagnosis, including the unexpected realities of living day to day.

Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders recently sat down with his friend and former NFL colleague Michael Strahan to talk about his journey since being diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer earlier this year. In an interview with Strahan for Good Morning America (GMA), Sanders opened up about the process and what reality looks like for the two-time NFL Super Bowl champion and current head coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes football team. 

This past spring, during a routine CAT scan for a blood-clotting issue, doctors discovered a tumor on his bladder. He was told it was cancerous and he could either undergo a lengthy chemotherapy treatment plan or have his bladder removed—and rebuilt. Coach Prime opted for the latter.

When asked why he opted to remove the bladder immediately, Sanders explained what led to that decision, and what the recovery process was like.

“I prayed on it, and I’m aggressive, man. I ain’t waiting. I ain’t sitting back on the curb waiting to slowly and surely do whatever’s gonna happen. No, let’s go right now. Let’s go get this thing, he shared.

But that aggressive approach also led to some of the most significant pain of Sanders’ life during recovery…after the first surgery. 

“It was tough. So I remember laying there and they said, ‘Well, you need to go try to pee.’ That was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt in my life. I remember just being on the ground, in the bathroom, and I’m just screaming, because it was so much pain. I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ So I’m laying on the bed in the fetal position once I got off the floor, I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’”

Sanders’ candor about what he’s been going through and willingness to be vulnerable publicly are admirable. He shared information that most men, especially men in the spotlight and with the reverence he commands, might think twice about sharing, especially when it comes to how he really has to live right now. That includes having to wear Depends, the brand of disposable undergarments that provide protection against leaks, accidents, etc. Typically thought of as something for much older persons, Sanders shared that right now, he depends on Depends. 

“You know how many people are going through this foolishness, but men never talk about stuff like this. We hide it because we want to be big and strong and massive and not vulnerable. No, man. This is real. This is what I’m dealing with,” he started. When Strahan asked if he was going to have to struggle with the residuals of cancer for the rest of his life, Sanders elaborated with more vulnerability.

“I’m not getting any better. I mean, some nights I go through two pairs of Depends a night, like, some nights are bad. Thank God that I depend on Depends. Thank God. It seems like a cliché? Yeah. But it’s the truth.”

One might ask how Coach Prime feels about sharing his truth with so many. Strahan asked that question, wondering how Sanders was mentally showing such a human side of the person who so many view as a superman of sorts. 

“It’s not tough for me because I’ve always been an honest man and a person who always confronted my limitations,” Sanders replied. “The cancer could have taken me out, but I’m here. You got it? We may smell like smoke, but we ain’t in the fire. We could do this!”—which is about as Deion Sanders a response as one can give.