Deion Sanders keeps baseball ‘close to’ him as he recovers from life-altering cancer scare ahead of Colorado’s season kickoff

By David Close, Coy Wire, CNN

(CNN) — In his heyday within the global spotlight, no one in the sporting world multitasked better than Deion Sanders.

A unicorn within the white lines, “Prime Time” dominated opponents and singlehandedly got fans out of their seats with his unmatched athletic ability in both MLB and NFL stadiums.

So absurdly good was the two-sport athlete’s talent to thrive at the highest level within the pair of professional leagues, he nearly played in two games, one for the Atlanta Falcons and one for the Atlanta Braves, in a single day. Some could argue Bo Jackson did it better, but only one man has played in a World Series and a Super Bowl: Sanders.

Despite overcoming a challenging fight with bladder cancer, Sanders is fully focused on preparing his Colorado Buffaloes for a new season full of lofty expectations after posting a 9-4 record in 2024. Yet, Coach Prime can also direct his attention to mentoring two of his NFL aspiring sons, his unwavering faith, and keep an eye on a sport near to his heart.

Sanders lit up when CNN Sports asked him about the impending MLB playoff chase – with the master motivator waxing poetic about how a current but very different two-way player’s success has created a new path for multi-talented ball players.

Coach Prime loving the new MLB

The University of Colorado’s head football coach still gets jazzed when talking about America’s pastime.

“I keep the game close to me. I don’t follow it as much, but I like the playoffs because it’s real,” the former New York Yankees, Braves, San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds star told CNN while sitting in his office in Boulder, Colorado.

“Every pitch matters. Like, you are really working the count. You are really moving the runners. You’re really doing some things,” he said while pointing out that he still keeps a bat and glove within arm’s length of his desk chair.

But the athletic wonder of the 1990s noted that the game is different now than when he played decades ago, with many batters focused strictly on hitting the long ball.

“Everybody’s trying to launch now. They are just swinging up, you know. I’m not being too far-fetched,” he said while swinging his arms low-to-high to mimic current home run swings.

“I do like that the game has been expedited … like it’s a quicker, faster game. And I like that the guys are allowing their personalities to flow. I love that.

“See, the Latin guys and the brothers have always done that, but now you’ve got everybody, you know, they’re doing their thing, man, and I love it. I love the personalities that are flowing in baseball.”

CNN noted that Sanders one of the biggest personalities to ever grace a baseball diamond: “They’re just finally catching up to you, Coach.”

Sanders was full of praise when asked about another dual-threat within the world of baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher-slugger-base-stealing phenom Shohei Ohtani.

“He is unbelievable,” the nine-year MLB veteran said about the Japanese superstar. “But you know how many other kids would have loved that opportunity (to pitch and hit)?

“But, I love it because it opens doors for more of these young men that are capable, that have been told, ‘No, you are going to do one (pitch) or the other (hit) for life.’ So, I like that.”

Sanders – who could consistently hit (.263 career batting average) and occasionally with power (39 home runs), along with his lightning-fast baserunning skills (186 stolen bases) – gave serious props to pitchers and dispelled generations of stereotypes thrown onto some members of the team that only saw action once every five games.

“Our pitchers used to hit before the game when I was with the Braves and shoot… (Steve) Avery, (John) Smoltz and (Tom) Glavine – those guys used to launch, man! They used to knock them out of the park, like, ‘Wow!’”

Then Sanders stoked the egos of all hurlers across the game.

“Most of the time, the pitcher was actually the best athlete on the team,” he complimented.

CNN didn’t allow the modesty to go too far unchecked: “Except for when you were on the team.”

‘I’m happy. I’m elated.’

One could forgive the two-time Super Bowl champion for a sense of anger or despair during his recent brutal battle with cancer.

But Sanders is never far from positivity and gives thanks to God for the opportunities he has had and the strength to battle back after having his bladder removed when doctors found an aggressive malignant tumor.

But weeks after he revealed that he didn’t stare death down, instead that he “stared life” in the face while not being shy about his new awkward bathroom routine, Sanders reflected on how he handled his very public announcement and prospects.

“It was a tremendous opportunity to get the word out,” the 58-year-old said.

“They said, ‘Man, just hold on. You could make it. You could do this. You’ve got this to encourage, to motivate, to alarm people that just because you get diagnosed with that C-word, that doesn’t mean we can’t win this battle.’

“I’m thankful that God chose me to sound the alarms for everyone to know that we can win this fight,” the Pro Football Hall of Famer added.

“I’m a happy man that I was chosen to carry this burden for a moment of time so that I could tell the world about it. I think everyone has somebody that can relate to what I’ve dealt with, what I’ve gone through, and I’m still here.”

Sanders laughed about how his fame has changed since he held the press conference just shy of a month ago to disclose his health issues.

“Some people don’t even know me for sports, you know. ‘That’s the guy that kicked cancer’s butt,’ and I’m happy about that.”

No time for the NFL

Sanders is entering his third season as the Buffaloes’ head coach, but will do so without two of his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, in Boulder.

Both talents thrived in their two seasons at Colorado with dad in charge of the program and are now aiming to make it in the NFL, with Shedeur being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft, 144th overall, by the Cleveland Browns, while Shilo went undrafted. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed the free agent after the player draft.

Both sons are fighting for roster spots for their prospective teams, with dad Deion OK with how the pair are approaching their situations.

“I’m happy that this is another opportunity for them to reach inside of them and bring something out that they’ve never had to fight and bring out before. They would never forget these moments, and I’m thankful that they’re in it,” Sanders told CNN Sports.

“Because now we have more really good and interesting conversations, not just about football, but about faith, about the Lord, about timing and about work ethic. So, it’s opened up a plethora of things for us to articulate to each other in life.

“It makes me keep my daddy role,” he said with a smile. “You know, my daddy role is on point.”

Sanders’ other son, Deion Jr., has remained in Boulder and runs Well Off Media – a production company that produces content for the football team and beyond.

Sanders said that he has been so engrossed with his coaching duties that he hasn’t had time to keep up with the comings and goings of the NFL outside of his sons’ journeys.

“I am where my feet is. I am right here and I absolutely love it. I’m sitting up here looking over the practices and grades that we have in practice and all of that,” the Hall of Famer said while holding up a graph of player stats.

“I don’t give a darn about those initials anymore.”

With Sanders at the helm, the Buffaloes will kick off their new season Friday at home against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and it’s safe to say that plenty of eyes will be looking towards Boulder to see what Coach Prime and his men can do this year.

The-CNN-Wire
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