Deion Sanders Believes He ’Stared Life’ in the Face During Bladder Removal Surgery as He Dealt with Cancer

On the eve of his Colorado football team’s season opener, Deion Sanders is reflecting on the past few months.

After undergoing surgery for bladder cancer — and then explaining to the world why he’d been mysteriously away from Boulder, Colo. and at his home in Texas — the Colorado Buffaloes coach is sharing his perspective on his recent health scare. 

“I’m a happy man that I was chosen to carry this burden for a moment of time so that I could tell the world about it,” Sanders, 58, told CNN in an extensive interview. “I think everyone has somebody that can relate to what I’ve dealt with, what I’ve gone through, and I’m still here.”

Last month, Sanders announced that he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and had his bladder removed, and his doctor said the football Hall of Famer has been “cured” of the disease.

“I’m thankful that God chose me to sound the alarms for everyone to know that we can win this fight,” Sanders told CNN, and added that he “stared life” in the face.

In his press conference, Sanders said that learning he had cancer was a life-altering moment.

“When we hear that word, it’s usually a life sentence attached to it,” Sanders said during an emotional moment. “But not this time. Not this time, because God got me.”

With the Buffaloes set to take on Georgia Tech on Friday, Aug. 29, the team will look a little different this season.

With his sons moving on — Shedeur is now the third-string quarterback with the Cleveland Browns, while Shilo was waived from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — the team has a new signal-caller and is ready to improve on last year’s 9-4 record.

But for the former two-sport star, the past few months have already been a victory. 

“Some people don’t even know me for sports, you know,” Sanders said. “‘That’s the guy that kicked cancer’s butt,’ and I’m happy about that.”