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Colorado's Deion Sanders Had Bladder Removed Following Bladder Cancer Diagnosis

Colorado's Deion Sanders Had Bladder Removed Following Bladder Cancer Diagnosis

Fox Sports4 days ago
For the first time since his extended absence from Colorado's football program began this offseason, Deion Sanders went into detail about the health issues that kept him away from the team.
Sanders revealed that he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, undergoing an operation to remove his bladder after a malignant tumor was found. Dr. Janet Kukreja, Sanders' doctor, confirmed at a news conference on Monday that Sanders had since been cured of the cancer.
"This was not an easy task because it was kind of a changing lifestyle," Sanders said.
The tumor was discovered after Sanders went in for his annual CT scan to check his vascular patterns. During those tests, his primary care doctor saw something and advised Sanders to see a urologist. When Sanders met with Kukreja, they determined that he had "non-muscle invasive" bladder cancer. After discussing treatment operations, they decided to remove his bladder.
Sanders had kept his health situation private for much of the offseason, giving vague comments about the matter on multiple podcast appearances. He also declined to answer questions about his health at Big 12 Media Days earlier in July.
Sanders admitted that his sons, Shedeur and Shiloh, didn't even know what fully transpired with his health this offseason, saying he wanted them to be focused on football matters. However, he shared that his daughters and his eldest son, Deion Jr., were in the loop over his health situation.
"Much love to my son, Junior, who has not left my side since we found out what was taking place. Not one day," Sanders said. "He's been with me here. He's been with me in Texas. He's been with me everywhere. Every day, I've seen his handsome face. I love you to life, son, and I thank you for everything that you've brought to the table."
The operation to remove the tumor was Sanders' 14th opperation since 2021, his doctors shared on Monday. Sanders advocated for everyone to get screened for cancer.
"If it wasn't for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn't have stumbled on this," Sanders said. "Make sure you get the right care because without wonderful people [like my doctors], I wouldn't be sitting here today.
"But please, get yourself checked out."
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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College Football Coaches Who Won the Offseason, Teams Poised to Rise in 2025
College Football Coaches Who Won the Offseason, Teams Poised to Rise in 2025

Fox Sports

time8 minutes ago

  • Fox Sports

College Football Coaches Who Won the Offseason, Teams Poised to Rise in 2025

Recruiting wins, transfer portal additions, retention of key players and program-defining hires — the 2025 college football offseason might not count in the standings, but it has shown exactly which coaches are playing chess while others play catch-up. With that, there are plenty of coaches who are looking to rebound from disappointing seasons last year, and others who are determined to build on their success and prove their programs aren't just one-hit wonders. So, which coaches have owned the offseason so far? Who's built to bounce back, and who's built to stay on top? Our FOX Sports college football writers answer those questions here. 1. Which college football coach has won the offseason and why? Laken Litman: James Franklin. In a world where players are transferring all over the place, Penn State kept a roster that's fully capable of winning a national championship intact. Quarterback Drew Allar, a projected top prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, returns. And not only that, but he'll be in his second season working with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, which is a huge plus. Then the Nittany Lions have the best running back duo in the country – Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton – who could have opted to leave for the NFL, but are back in Happy Valley as well. Defensively, Franklin stole his rival's defensive coordinator. Jim Knowles, who won a national championship with Ohio State last season and has been key in developing some of the best defensive players in the country as of late, is on Penn State's staff. The Nittany Lions are 1-9 vs. the Buckeyes over the past 10 years, and now they just might have the inside track to that matchup on Nov. 1 in Columbus with Knowles on their side. Penn State came heartbreakingly close to playing for a national title last season. But because of Franklin's effort this offseason, he has put his program in an even stronger position to bring it home this year. RJ Young: Curt Cignetti. No one had a 2024 like Cignetti, who walked into a program in a manner only DJ Khaled would attempt, telling everyone all he does is win. And just over a year and a half later, we expect Indiana to be good once again. We expect the Hoosiers to win in the portal, win on the field and compete at the top of the Big Ten. Cignetti has won at least 11 games in four of the last six years at Indiana and James Madison. Imagine what he might do if his roster began to resemble the ones in Columbus, Austin or Athens. With the addition of Fernando Mendoza and eight starters back from last year's 11-win team, Cignetti has a squad capable of putting together another sensational run. Michael Cohen: Joey McGuire. There's a reason Texas Tech was the talk of the town at Big 12 Media Days in early July despite a relatively nondescript 8-5 record last fall and being 16 years removed from its last season with double-digit victories, a feat overseen by the late Mike Leach in 2008. And that reason, courtesy of billionaire booster Cody Campbell, who also runs The Matador Club, the school's NIL collective, was pretty simple to understand: piles and piles and piles of cold, hard cash. Coaches from near and far were jealous, envious and judgmental of the spending spree McGuire and his staff enjoyed this offseason in putting together the No. 2 transfer portal class in the country, trailing only LSU. The Red Raiders entered the December portal window planning to spend $5 million to upgrade the roster, according to a story on but when all was said and done a month later — after Texas Tech signed seven of the top 65 prospects available — the bottom line had swelled north of $10 million as Campbell and his fellow boosters sensed an opportunity to game the system by front-loading NIL deals before the House v. NCAA settlement officially ushered in revenue sharing on July 1. Then they could spend even more money once revenue sharing began. Imagine how fortunate McGuire must have felt when his player-acquisition efforts were funded by the deep pockets of someone like Campbell, an alum of the program who made billions in oil and natural gas. At a time when the marketplace is often dominated by schools from the Big Ten and SEC — those two leagues accounted for 10 of the top 14 portal classes in the country, according to 247Sports — Texas Tech proved it can hold its own for top talent by signing plug-and-play starters at edge rusher (x2), offensive tackle (x2), running back and wide receiver, which are some of the most expensive positions to fill. Now it's up to McGuire and his new roster to deliver. 2. Which of last year's disappointing teams is most likely to bounce back in 2025? Michael Cohen: Washington. There's something a bit unfair about describing what Washington did in 2025 as "disappointing" considering just how much turmoil the program endured over the winter, none of which the Huskies brought upon themselves. The shocking retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban on Jan. 10 — long after the coaching carousel had begun to wind down — thrust the college football world into a frenzy and ignited a chain reaction of movement that affected dozens of schools across the country. Most notably, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne tabbed Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer to be Saban's successor on Jan. 12, at which point the Huskies' coaching staff and roster were decimated by departures less than a week after competing against Michigan in the national championship game. Not to mention the 10 players who would soon be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, including seven in the first three rounds, headlined by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall. It all meant that new head coach Jedd Fisch, who joined Washington after an impressive three-year rebuild at Arizona, faced an incredibly steep climb as he guided the Huskies through their transition to the Big Ten. But with the 2025 season comes renewed optimism for Washington, a team that might not compete for a conference championship but should certainly improve on last year's 6-7 overall record and 4-5 mark in the league. Much of the excitement stems from sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr., a legitimate dual-threat player whose dazzling performance in the Sun Bowl last December — he threw for 374 yards and four touchdowns while adding a fifth score on the ground — makes him a national breakout candidate this fall. He'll be flanked by experienced tailback Jonah Coleman, who rushed for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, and emerging wideout Denzel Boston, who caught 63 passes for 834 yards and nine touchdowns as a first-year starter in 2024, for what should be one of the league's most explosive offenses. 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Pribula rushed for 242 yards on just 38 rushes with nine touchdowns at PSU last year and will look to partner with Kevin Coleman, who accounted for 932 yards receiving at Mississippi State in 2024. However, a lot of Mizzou's success is likely to depend on Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy, who rushed for 1,351 yards last year — tops among true freshmen. The defense looks sneakily good with nine returning starters from a unit that allowed 20.4 points and 318 yards per game. With a whopping eight home games on the schedule and road matchups at Auburn, at Vanderbilt, at Oklahoma and at Arkansas, there's reason to believe Mizzou can contend for a spot in the 12-team playoff. Laken Litman: Arizona State. The Sun Devils were one of the most fun teams late last year. After winning the Big 12 in their debut season, Kenny Dillingham's team earned a CFP bye and then came close to beating Texas in the Peach Bowl's double-overtime thriller. 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That Bielema used the transfer portal to address one of the team's biggest weaknesses by adding three potential plug-and-play starters along the defensive line in James Thompson Jr. and Curt Neal from Wisconsin and Tomiwa Durojaiye from Florida State is another reason for optimism. So even though there are legitimate questions at wide receiver and inside linebacker, all of the aforementioned experience should take on increased importance during a season when perennial powers Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan are introducing new starting quarterbacks and significantly rebuilt offensive lines. There's an argument to be made that, as of right now, Altmyer is the second-best quarterback in the conference behind Penn State's Drew Allar, given everything he's accomplished at Illinois since joining the program. The Illini's schedule sets up quite favorably this fall with two of its three toughest opponents at home in USC on Sept. 27 and Ohio State on Oct. 11, while also avoiding the likes of Michigan, Penn State and Oregon entirely. The only team in the Big Ten with an easier strength of schedule — at least according to ESPN — is Maryland. For Bielema & Co., the College Football Playoff is within reach. Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman . RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young . Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13 . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

What McLaren CEO Zak Brown Thinks Of FOX Acquiring A Third Of IndyCar
What McLaren CEO Zak Brown Thinks Of FOX Acquiring A Third Of IndyCar

Forbes

time39 minutes ago

  • Forbes

What McLaren CEO Zak Brown Thinks Of FOX Acquiring A Third Of IndyCar

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Micah Parsons Considering Cowboys Trade Request With Relationship 'Deteriorated'
Micah Parsons Considering Cowboys Trade Request With Relationship 'Deteriorated'

Fox Sports

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  • Fox Sports

Micah Parsons Considering Cowboys Trade Request With Relationship 'Deteriorated'

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