Deion Sanders Shares Powerful Words When Asked “What Was It Like Staring Death in the Face”

Deion Sanders loves life more than most, perhaps because of everything he has endured in recent months. He was sidelined by a mysterious and serious health issue that forced him to retreat to his Texas home in silence. Though he hasn’t revealed the exact nature of the illness, his medical history—including severe blood clots and past surgeries—makes it clear that this was no minor scare. Some might say he came face to face with death, and simply said, “Not today.”

Now, he is on the mend and back in Colorado, where he recently held his first fall press conference. When a reporter asked what it was like to stare death in the face, Sanders offered a characteristically profound answer. He said he didn’t stare at death, he stared at life.

As he has often done, Coach Prime pointed to his faith in God. He believes that, like all of God’s children, he must walk through trials and tribulations, not just for himself, but so he can guide others through theirs. With all that God has given him, Deion sees his purpose as far from complete.

He still has more to give, more to say, and more lives to impact. That’s why he’s not dwelling on death, because life still has so much to offer him. And he trusts that God knows this, too. It simply isn’t his time.

” I didn’t stare death in the face. I stared life in the face. You think I’m playing when I tell you I’m God’s guy. I’m allowed to go through these trials and tribulations so that I could touch and reach and bless people with words, with my energy, with that thing that God gave me. So I never thought about no death. I got too much life in me to be thinking about death. I got work to do. God definitely ain’t getting ready to take me before that.”

Deion Sanders’ illness had remained a mystery to the public until now. He and his doctors have finally revealed what Coach Prime was battling and how he plans to manage it moving forward. As it turns out, the doctors diagnosed him with a particularly aggressive form of urinary bladder tumor—a high-grade, cancerous growth that had invaded the bladder lining, though not yet the muscle wall.

Doctors classified it as a very high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The condition has a high recurrence rate and potential for rapid progression. There are two primary treatment options. One involves a lengthy, ongoing process requiring repeated visits to the urologist and constant monitoring, with a 50% chance of the cancer returning. Worse, there’s a serious risk that it could enter the vascular system and metastasize, significantly reducing life expectancy.

With his commitments to Colorado and his family weighing heavily on his mind, Coach Prime chose the more definitive route: complete bladder removal via laparoscopic surgery. In its place, doctors created a new, artificial bladder using a section of his own intestine.

Though he’s still adjusting to the physical challenges—like ongoing bladder control issues—he is officially cured. Now, Deion is focusing on adapting to his new reality and continuing to live with the same faith, energy, and purpose that have always defined him.