University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders returned to the sidelines for the start of the 2025 season less than four months after undergoing bladder cancer surgery.
Sanders, 58, joined his team at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, on Friday, August 29, as his Colorado Buffaloes prepared to take on Georgia Tech in the season opener for both teams. According to social media footage from the game, Sanders ran on the the field while hyping up his team. The coach donned a black jacket and pants ensemble with white knee socks. He also rocked a cowboy hat.
On the field, Sanders also had a portable toilet next to Colorado’s bench as part of his bladder cancer recovery, per a tweet from ESPN reporter Adam Rittenberg. The covering had the brand Depends’ name emblazoned across, appearing to be a sponsor of the temporary bathroom stall.
After weeks of speculation about his health, Sanders held a press conference on July 28 at the University of Colorado announcing he had his bladder removed in May after a cancerous tumor was discovered.
The NFL Hall of Famer, who has been the head coach at Colorado since December 2022, announced he is now cancer-free.
“This wasn’t easy,” Sanders said. “Men, everybody, get checked out. Because if it wasn’t for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn’t have stumbled up on this.”
At the time, Sanders said he had lost “about 25 pounds” and called the surgery and recovery process “a tremendous journey.”
“Dealing with the catheter, dealing with all the stuff I had to deal with,” Sanders described. “Right now I’m still dealing with going to the bathroom. It’s a whole life change. I’m going to be transparent, I can’t pee like I used to pee.”
Given his new way of life, Sanders said that Colorado football fans might see him using portable toilets on the sidelines throughout the season.
“I depend on Depends,” Sanders joked.
After being proactive about his own health, Sanders urged other people to get checked for cancer.
“There’s a lot of people out there going through what I’m going through and dealing with what I’m dealing with,” Sanders said. “Let’s stop being ashamed of it and let’s deal with it and let’s deal with it head-on.”
He added, “Get checked out. Because it could have been a whole ‘nother gathering if I didn’t.”
The 2025 football season marks Sanders’ first as a head coach without his sons Shedeur and Shilo on the roster. The trio all came to Colorado in 2022 after three seasons at Jackson State University.
Shedeur, 23, was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and is currently the team’s third-string quarterback.
Shilo, 25, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April, but was cut from the team earlier this month after getting into an altercation during a preseason game.
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