Colorado coach Deion Sanders’ bladder cancer diagnosis sounds the alarm for testing

Deion Sanders' recent bladder cancer diagnosis sheds light on the importance of early testing for it — especially among Black people.

Speculation swirled for weeks around the health of Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes head coach and famed Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, who had been notably absent from team practice.

When he announced Monday that he had undergone surgery in June to remove his bladder after a cancer diagnosis, it once again became evident that cancer doesn’t discriminate around wealth and status.

But the serious nature of his condition highlights concerns about how Black people tend to be at a disproportionately higher health risk than other groups due to the deficiencies in care. Doctors hope Sanders’ diagnosis can influence others to take preventative steps.

Dr. Geoffrey Mount Varner, an emergency room physician in Maryland, noted that Black people are less likely to get bladder cancer but are more likely to die from it. “It does impact Black people more and aggressively,” he said.

In a video of Sanders, 57, filmed in May but shared by his son on Sunday, the coach spoke about how emotionally and mentally draining it was to have to write a will before his surgery.