Colorado football coach Deion Sanders gave a new update on his health after having his cancerous bladder removed in May and described his “new normal” on game days, which includes managing his bladder and having a sense of humor about it.
Sanders talked about it on the Colorado Football Coaches Show Wednesday Sept. 10, as his Buffaloes prepare to play Friday night at Houston After the show’s host, Mark Johnson, asked him about it, Sanders noted how his willingness to talk about the subject publicly has helped other people dealing with incontinence and similar issues.
“I gotta make sure I pee before I go out there,” Sanders said of his pregame routine.
A portable toilet has been installed on the sideline at Folsom Field for his use. It resembles a rectangular tent and is sponsored by Depend, the adult diaper brand that sponsors Sanders.
Sanders, 58, said he hasn’t used it yet. But a former Colorado player of his, Jimmy Horn Jr., visited him during the season opener against Georgia Tech and wanted to use it.
“Jimmy Horn asked me to use it the first week,” Sanders on the show. “I said, ‘No deuces. You can use it. No deuces.’ I say, ‘Jimmy, do not go in there and sit down and then … a gust of wind blows and everybody catch you sitting down on the toilet.’ We just bust out laughing. That was in the middle of the game.”
Deion Sanders: ‘Maybe it’s the reason God allowed it’
Sanders called it a “new normal.” After his bladder was removed, a new, smaller neobladder was installed to replace it and was made from his small intestine. His doctor said he is cancer-free.
“You gotta make sure you empty the bladder,” Sanders said on the show. “Sometimes, before the games, I use a catheter, so I can make sure my bladder’s empty so I don’t have to. Because when you feel it, you’ve got to use the bathroom or you start leaking. I’m sorry. But I’m getting explicit. But you start leaking. You gotta take care of it.”
Sanders explained why he’s open about a subject that can be uncomfortable to talk about.
“I’m trying to help somebody that’s going through the same,” Sanders said. “It’s amazing that everywhere I go, someone comes up to me and tells me about a family member or friend that has the exact same thing, and ‘Thank you for being vocal about it,’ because they’re dealing with that right now. It’s been at least several people since I’ve come back.”
After recovering at his estate in Texas, Sanders revealed his health situation in a news conference in Colorado on July 28. Johnson told Sanders that he watched it then and said, “I’m not sure there’s another human being on the face of the Earth that could have talked about incontinence and made it sound cool.”
“But you did, and then you make an impact on people,” Johnson said.
“Right, well, I’m thankful,” Sanders said. “I’m happy. And maybe it’s the reason God allowed it to happen to me.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
