Robert Livingston admits he was scared when first hearing of Deion Sanders' bladder cancer

When Deion Sanders called a press conference with a medical team on Monday, many feared the worst. That included the Colorado coaching staff, like defensive coordinator Robert Livingston.

Because Sanders hadn’t shared much publicly to that point, no one quite knew what to expect. That left a lot of room for the imagination to run wild.

“Scared, I think like everybody,” Livingston said of his initial reaction. “We’re talking about a life here. So this football stuff, it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. But it’s a testament to who he was. He keeps a tight inner circle. He was away and we were working, just knowing that when he comes back he’s going to hit the ground running.”

Deion Sanders has since returned and is back to normal, at least insofar as his conditions will allow. Some things are different, as Sanders alluded to medically in his press conference.

But the goal remains the same: To be competitive on the football field and continue making incremental progress. To that end, nothing is all that different.

“That first staff meeting went about like you thought it would,” Livingston said. “‘Hey, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that.’ So it’s not like he was just hanging out. He was taking care of his life, No. 1, and then worried about his team, No. 2. So, again, a testament to who he is. If we all lived our life like that the world would be a better place.”

That said, the staff feels differently know that it knows everything Deion Sanders went through. Having him back with that as a backdrop just hits differently.

“Oh it’s great. Who he is as a person, I know we’ve talked about that,” Livingston said. “I hadn’t seen him in a long time, and so Friday we have a staff meeting and kind of one-on-one we were having a conversation and the first question he asked was about my family.

“We talked about it. Luke played baseball, my son. Prime’s talking about his stance and all these things. He wants to know all those things, he wants to know how that’s going. It’s just a testament to who he is.”

Now, with Deion Sanders back in the fold, Colorado turns its full attention to the gridiron. There’s a month to prepare, and the Buffaloes hope once again to be a Big 12 title contender.

Few have the cache to make that come to fruition like Sanders. And few will appreciate it like he will if it comes to pass.

“Obviously his leadership is one of one,” Livingston said. “He’s the pied piper. The world will follow him if they just listen to him. So we’re blessed.”