“I Don’t Want Anybody Injured”: Deion Sanders Lays Out Roadmap for Colorado Athletes After Bladder Cancer Surgery

Having won his battle against bladder cancer, Deion Sanders is now turning his attention toward preparing the Colorado Buffaloes for a battle of their own against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Health concerns and speculations dominated the Buffs’ narrative this offseason, and the NFL Hall of Famer is now putting the spotlight back where it belongs, on his players. 

Ahead of the first day of fall camp, Sanders addressed his team in the meeting room, exuding the Coach Prime aura that they are familiar with. “All you had to do was do your job. I showed you the way, I showed you the path,” Sanders explained while getting on their cases for not staying focused in his absence.

“Y’all come out of this complex, sometimes you’re on the phone, sometimes you’re not really paying attention. There’s riders flying 100 miles an hour down this path, and you guys decided to go the easy way, never minding the 120 behind you,” said Sanders, before reminding them that it is time to [get] things back in order.

“You made a decision that would’ve cost us the game… And we were going to take the same path because I already thought of [it]. I don’t want anybody getting injured,” he added.

Sanders runs a tight ship for sure. But only because he believes that it is in the best interest of both his players and the program. “I feel like all of y’all are my kids,” he informed the players. “I’ve gotta take care of you.”

Once the housekeeping issues were addressed, Sanders took the boys out for their first day of fall practice. Colorado’s first official training camp was held on their gameday field rather than their practice one, an intentional choice by Sanders to jumpstart the process. 

“When we’re on the game field, it’s game tempo. When we’re on the game field, it’s game speed… Coaches, when we’re on the game field, you [are] coaching like it’s a game. Staff, it’s a game. So, I expect a game,” said Sanders, setting the mood.

“I don’t even want to yell today, I just want to sit back and have a good time. I’ve been through hell. I just want to sit back and have a good time today. Everything is full speed today,” he added.

The Buffaloes now have exactly 30 days to prepare for the upcoming season. Thankfully, they won’t have to worry about traveling far in Week 1, as the Yellow Jackets will be the ones coming into enemy territory. 

Colorado’s 2025 debut is currently scheduled to take place at Folsom Field on August 29 at 6 p.m. MDT. Seeing as Georgia Tech struggled to eke out a winning record in 2024, Sanders and the rest of his herd fancy their chances heading into the contest.