Deion Sanders’ most recent struggle transcends football

Deion Sanders, the head football coach at the University of Colorado, held a press conference on Monday to provide an update on his mysterious absence from the team throughout the offseason. Sanders shared about his successful battle with bladder cancer, his desire to raise awareness, his excitement to be back and committed to the football season, and his faith that has carried him through.

Sanders, a media magnet and boisterous personality, gained fame during his playing career, which began collegiately as a cornerback for Florida State. Nicknamed “Primetime,” he went on to play 14 seasons in the NFL, highlighted by his time with the Dallas Cowboys. As a cherry on top of his already impressive resume, Primetime also played portions of 9 seasons in Major League Baseball.

Sanders became known as Coach Prime after stepping into the head coach role at Jackson State in 2020, where he found rapid recruiting and on-field success. After leading Jackson State to an undefeated regular season in 2022, major programs sought him out. Sanders chose to step into the Colorado role, a storied program that had struggled in the years prior to his arrival.

Coach Prime brought his two sons and his top recruit, Travis Hunter, with him to Colorado and began to turn the ship around. Last year, in his second season, the Buffaloes won 9 games, the most since 2016. As the season wound down, there was some speculation that Sanders might look for a way out with Hunter and both sons heading to the NFL. Despite his public commitment to stay, Sanders’s missing presence throughout the offseason left room for doubt.

Monday’s press conference brought the clarity that Buffs fans and others in the college football realm were hoping for, but it also brought an important message about health, resilience, and faith. 

“God got me like no other”

Sanders and his doctor were able to share with the media that his cancer was caught early and that, at the time,  he had no symptoms, further elevating the need for regular screening. He had gone in for a check-up on a previous health concern when a malignant tumor was discovered. The life-saving surgery that followed resulted in Sanders losing his bladder and gaining one reconstructed from his small intestine.

Bladder cancer is not necessarily a flattering topic to spend time on, but Coach Prime believes it is a critically important one, saying, “It’s just totally different and I know there’s a lot of people out there going through what I am going through and dealing with what I am dealing with and let’s stop being ashamed of it and let’s deal with it. And let’s deal with it head-on.”

The 57-year-old Hall of Famer has undergone over a dozen surgeries in the last five years, including multiple toe amputations, and he credits The Lord for carrying him through. He took to social media in the midst of this most recent health scare to give God the glory: “I can assure you all that everything is OKAY and will continue to be so. God got me like no other. I have so much more work to do to glorify God so please believe God got me.” 

After this week’s press conference, he posted a thank you to everyone who had been praying and a message about God’s unconditional love. Despite the suffering, Sanders had faith that God had a purpose in everything that took place, and he never doubted that he would return to coaching. 

Declaring his faith publicly is nothing new for Sanders, who came under fire from anti-religious groups at the start of his Colorado tenure for “preaching” and praying in the locker room. In a 2022 interview, Deion spoke on the emptiness that came from chasing sex and fame and how he had gone through suicidal depression when he was younger. 

However, he went on to confess that “Nothing helped me and delivered me and got me to the next day except for Jesus. I mean that was it when I said I surrendered. I gave my life to the Lord.”

Coach Prime’s return to the team will certainly boost locker room morale and increase online chatter. While he does draw a variety of criticisms, his response to this health crisis has given God the glory and reveals two righteous practices for all believers to emulate.

Suffering Faithfully

While it is not uncommon for celebrities to broadly credit God, Deion’s consistency on the matter and his willingness to open up about his faith right after such a trying season give hope that he is genuine. His reliance on the Lord through the challenging times and his desire to elevate God’s role in the matter are reminders of how Christians are called to act in the midst of suffering.

Biblical suffering begins with submission to God’s plan, which is far greater than our own. Suffering creates uncertainty and makes it difficult to see the bigger picture. 

Romans 8:18 reminds us that suffering is temporary, and James 1:2–4 challenges us to find joy even in the toughest trials. Considering the temporary nature of our current suffering, suffering faithfully hinges on seeking God’s glory in every circumstance.

Continual Humility

Nothing brings us to our knees quicker than unfortunate, unexpected news, such as a health crisis. These moments serve as painful reminders of God’s providence. 

It may be years, or even decades, before you are able to look back on a difficult season of life and see God’s handprint through all of it, and realize that he took something chaotic and made it beautiful.

I often reflect on the story of the disciples being stranded in a storm at sea while Jesus sleeps in the boat (Mark 4:35-41). When they frantically lose control of the boat and become entrenched in fear, they only turn to Jesus to criticize him for letting them suffer and die rather than looking to him as the supernatural Peace of God that can calm the wind and the waves. Their arrogance nearly brought them destruction, but Jesus rebuked them and calmed the storm anyway. 

Humility is realizing the boat is out of control because you do not have the ability to get it safely to shore on your own accord. Only the one who made you and saved you can navigate you through life’s stormy seas. We have a daily calling to depend on Him, striving toward our eternal hope, which transcends the sufferings of this present age.

How can you answer that call today?