‘I depend on Depends’: Deion Sanders jokes as he reveals secret bladder cancer and its aftermath

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Iconic football coach Deion Sanders, 58, revealed that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer and has since had surgery to cure the disease.

Sanders, who coaches the Colorado Buffaloes, revealed the news Monday and joked to reporters that he now uses Depends, the absorbent underwear brand. He noted he dropped 25 pounds as he battled the disease and encouraged everybody to “get checked out.”

“I depend on Depends, if you know what I mean,” Sanders quipped as the room laughed. “I truly depend on Depends. I cannot control my bladder.”

“If you see a Porta-Potty on the sideline, it’s real,” he added. “I’m just telling you right now, you’re going to see it.”

Dr. Janet Kukreja, director of urologic oncology at UCHealth, told reporters Sanders had surgery to remove his bladder and create a new one. Sanders’s cancer is now cured, Kukreja said as the room applauded.

‘I depend on Depends,’ Deion Sanders joked on Monday (AP)

“We’re lucky to have found it at this stage where I could say the word cure, because I don’t use that word lightly as a cancer doctor,” she said.

Sanders, who is entering his third season with the Colorado team, said the surgery was his 14th since 2021. The coach said the process was “difficult,” but he has made it to the other side. Sanders paused and clasped his hands as he told reporters that he’s grateful for his recovery.

“It has been a tremendous journey, and I’m truly thankful that God is so good,” he said. “God is so good. You have no idea.”

The coach kept his diagnosis close to his chest, he said.

“My sons, to this day, don’t know what transpired,” Sanders said. “I just told him something with my foot again.”

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates